m 


'^.t 


<■  i>- 


e--'Ocr>o 


ii 


?-**'0  iTsok,..''^  'S""V^, 


Vl4^* 


5i--*o<rNo, 


ECLECTIC    SCHOOL    READINGS 

DISCOVERERS  ' 
AND       # 
EXPLORERS 


w 


/'A 


4^ 


.^/ 


-^^ 


NEW  YORK  •  CINCINNATI  •  CHICAGO 
AMERICAN  *  BOOK  •  COMPANY 


Xxj>^A.«A»A.^JCJwJ%J^XJwC!^ 


:rtvTgr:>?r.rrfcYiTrtviyr4i'r*^^^ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Digitized  by  tlie  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2007  witli  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/discoverersexploOOsliawiala 


DISCO  YEEERS 


AND 


EXPLOPvERS 


BY 

ED  WARD    Pv.  SHAW 

l>€un  of  the  School  of  I'l-iluyoyij 
Xew  York  ritircrsiti/ 


NEW    VORK  •-■•   CINCrXXATI  •:•  CrncAfif^ 

A  M  H  I{  I C  A  X     ]^,  ()  ()  K     CO  M  1 '  A  X  Y 


Copyright,  1900, 
By  Edward  It.  Shaw. 


DIS.    AND   EXP. 
W.    P.    4 


Qr. 


PREFACE. 

The  practice  of  beginning  the  study  of  geography 

with  the  locality  in  which  the  pupil  lives,  in  order 

that  his  tirst  ideas  of  geographical  conceptions  may 

f2  be  gained  from  observation  directed  upon  the  real 

^  conditions   existing   about   him,   has   been    steadily 

>-      .   . 

^;\  gaining  adherence  during  the  past  few  years  as  a 

2  rational  method  of  entering  upon  the  study  of  geog- 
raphy. 
oj      After  the  pupil  has  finished  an  elementary  study 
J!J  of  the  locality,  he  is  ready  to  pass  to  an  elementary 
f  consideration  of  the  world  as  a  whole,  to  get  his  first 
conception  of  the  planet  on  which   lie   lives.     His 
d   knowledge  of  the  forms  of  land  and  water,  his  knowl- 
X    edge  of  rain  and  wind,  of  heat  and  cold,  as  ag(Mits, 
g    aud  of  the   easily  traced  effects  resulting  fi'om  the 
^    interaction  of  these  agents,  have  be«Mi  acquii'ed  by 
3    observation  and  inference  u])Oii  coiiditic^ns  actually 
at   hand;    in  othtM"  words,  iiis   knowledge  has    been 
gained  in  a  prescntative  manner. 

Ills    study    of    the    woihl,    li(>we\'er,    must    ditTfi' 
largely  from   this,  and  must  be  rffectcd  pi-incipally 

3 

4471^6 . 


by  representation.  The  globe  in  relief,  therefore, 
presents  to  him  his  basic  idea,  and  all  his  future 
study  of  the  world  will  but  expand  and  modify  this 
idea,  until  at  length,  if  the  study  is  properly  con- 
tinued, the  idea  becomes  exceedingly  complex. 

In  passing  from  the  geographj^  of  the  locality  to 
that  of  the  world  as  a  whole,  the  pupil  is  to  deal 
broadly  with  the  land  masses  and  their  general  char- 
acteristics. The  continents  and  oceans,  their  rela- 
tive situations,  form,  and  size,  are  then  to  be  treated, 
but  the  treatment  is  always  to  be  kept  easily  within 
the  pupil's  capabilities — the  end  l:)eing  merely  an  ele- 
mentary world- view. 

During  the  time  the  pupil  is  acquiring  this  ele- 
mentai'y  knowledge  of  the  world  as  a  whole,  certain 
facts  of  history  may  be  interrelated  with  the  geo- 
graphical study. 

According  to  the  plan  already  suggested,  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  pupil  is  carried  out  from  a  study  of  the 
limited  area  of  land  and  water  about  him  to  an  idea 
of  the  world  as  a  sphere,  with  its  great  distrilnition 
of  land  and  water.  In  this  transference  he  soon 
comes  to  perceive  how  small  a  part  his  hithei"to 
known  world  forms  of  the  great  earth-sphere  itself. 

Something  analogous  to  this  transition  on  the  part 
of  the  pupil  to  a  larger  view  seems  to  l)e  found  in 
the  history  of  the  western  nations  of  Europe.     It  is 


the  gradual  change  in  the  conception  of  the  world 
held  during  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  to 
the  enlarged  conception  of  the  world  as  a  sphere 
which  the  remarkabk^  discoveries  and  explorations 
of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries  brought 
about. 

The  analogy  serves  pedagogically  to  point  out  an 
interesting  and  valual)le  biterrelation  of  certain  facts 
of  history  with  certain  phases  of  geographical  study. 

This  book  has  been  prepared  for  the  purpose  of 
affording  material  for  such  an  interrelation.  The 
plan  of  interrelation  is  simple.  x\s  the  stud}'  of  the 
world  as  a  whole,  in  the  manner  already  sketched, 
progresses,  the  npproi>riate  chapters  are  read,  dis- 
cussed, and  reproduce*!,  and  the  routes  of  the  various 
discoverers  niid  explorers  ti'aced.  No  further  word 
seems  to  the  writer  necessary  in  regard  to  the  inter- 
relation. 

Dresden,  July  15,  1899. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Beliefs  as  to  the  World  Four  Hundred  Years  Ago    .      9 

Marco  Polo 16 

Columbus 24 

Vasco  da  Gama 40 

John  and  Sebastian  Cabot's  Voyages         ....    44 

Amerigo  Vespucci 48 

Ponce  de  Leon 54 

Balboa 56 

Magellan 62 

Hernando  Cortes    68 

Francisco  Pizarro 78 

Ferdinand  de  Soto 84 

The  Great  River  Amazon,  and  El  Dorado       .        .        .92 

Verrazzano 102 

The  Famous  Voyage  of  Sir  Francis  Drake  -1577    .        .  lOS 
Henry  Hudson 114 


DISCOVEREIJS   A\i)   KXPLOHKHS. 


BELIEFS   AS   TO   THE   WORLD   FOUR 
HUNDRED   YEARS   AGO. 

Four  liundred  years  ago  most  of  the  peoi^le  who 
lived  ill  Europe  thought  that  the  earth  was  tlat. 
They  knew  only  the  land  that  was  near  them.  They 
knew  the  continent  of  Eurox^e,  a  small  part  of  Asia, 
and  a  strip  along  the 
northern  shore  of 
Africa. 

They  thouglit  this 
known  land  was  sur- 
rounde<l  l)y  a  vast 
l)ody  of  water  that 
was  like  a  l)road 
river.  Sailors  were  afraid  to  v<'ntnre  far  U]ton  this 
water,  for  tliey  feared  they  would  fall  over  the  edge 
of  tlit^  earth. 

Other  seafaring  men  l)eli<'ved  that  if  tliey  sliould 
sail  too  far  out  upon  this  water  thcii'  \'<\<si'|s  would 
be  lost  ill  a  fog.  or  that  tlun'  wouM  suddenly  hegin 
to  slide  downhill,  and  would  never  !)<■  ahlc  to  return. 

9 


The  World  as  Known  Four  Hundred 
Years  ago. 


10 

Wind  gods  and  storm  gods,  too,  were  supposed  to 
dwell  upon  this  mysterious  sea.  Men  believed  that 
these  wind  and  storm  gods  would  be  very  angry  with 
any  one  who  dared  to  enter  their  domain,  and  that  in 
their  wrath  they  would  hurl  the  ships  over  the  edge 
of  the  earth,  or  keep  them  wandering  round  and 
round  in  a  circle,  in  the  mist  and  fog. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  the  name  "  Sea  of  Darkness" 
was  given  to  this  great  body  of  water,  which  we  now 
know  to  be  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ;  nor  is  it  surprising 
that  the  sailors  feared  to  venture  far  out  upon  it. 

These  sailors  had  no  dread  at  all  of  a  sea  called  the 
Mediterranean,  upon  wiiich  they  made  voj^ages  with- 
out fear  of  danger.  This  sea  was  named  the  Mediter- 
ranean because  it  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  middle 
of  the  land  that  was  then  known.  On  this  body-  of 
water  the  sailors  were  very  bold,  fighting,  robbing,  and 
plundering  strangers  and  foes,  without  an}^  thought 
of  fear. 

They  sailed  through  this  sea  eastward  to  Constan- 
tinople, their  ships  being  loaded  with  metals,  woods, 
and  pitch.  These  they  traded  for  silks,  cashmeres, 
dyewoods,  spices,  perfumes,  precious  stones,  ivory, 
and  pearls.  All  of  these  things  were  brought  b}" 
caravan  from  the  far  Eastern  countries,  as  India, 
China,  and  Japan,  to  the  cities  on  the  east  coast  of 
the  Mediterranean. 


11 

This  caravan  journey  was  a  very  long  and  tii*esome 
one.  Worse  than  this,  the  Turks,  througli  wliose 
country  the  caravans  j^assed,  Ijegan  to  see  how  vahi- 


ahle  this  trade  was,  and 
they  sent  V)ands  of  rol)l)ers 
to  prevent  the  caravans 
from  reaching  the  coast. 

As  time  went  on,  these 
land  journeys  grew  more 
difficult  and  more  danger- 
ous, until  tilt'  trach'rs  saw 
that  the  (hiy  would  soon  come  when  tliey  would  hf 
entirely  cut  off  from  ti'affic  with  India  an<l  the  rich 
Eastei'U  c(nintries.  The  Turks  would  sccui'c  all  tli'ir 
profitable  husiness.  So  the  men  of  thai  time  iricd 
to  think  of  some  other  wav  of  ri-achini:'  tlic  Ka>t. 


A  Caravan. 


12 


Among  those  who  wished  to  find  a  short  route 
to  India  was  Prince  Henry  of  Portugal,  a  bold  navi- 
gator as  well  as  a  studious  and  thoughtful  man. 
He  was  desirous  of  securing  the  rich  Indian  trade  for 


Enc  tne  Red  in  Vinland. 

his  own  country.  So  he  established  a  school  for  navi- 
gators at  Lisboii,  and  gathered  around  him  many 
men  who  wanted  to  study  about  the  sea. 

Here  they  made  maps  and  charts,  and  talked  with 


13 

one  another  about  the  stran<2:e  lands  wliich  they 
thought  might  be  found  far  out  in  that  mysterious 
body  of  water  wliich  they  so  dreaded  and  feared.  It 
is  probabk^  that  they  liad  heard  soine  accounts  of  the 
voyages  of  other  navigators  on  this  wonderful  sea, 
and  the  beliefs  about  land  beyond. 

There  was  Eric  the  Eed,  a  bold  navigator  of  Ice- 
land, who  had  sailed  west  to  (Jreenlan»^*'a-nd  planted 
there  a  colony  tliat  grew  and  thrived.  There  was 
also  Eric's  son  Leif,  a  venturesome  young  viking 
who  had  made  a  voyage  soutlj  from  Clreenland,  and 
reached  a  strange  country  with  wooded  shores  and 
fragrjint  vines.  Tliis  country  he  called  Yinland  be- 
cause of  the  al)undance  of  wild  gra]:»es.  'When  he 
returned  to  (xreenland,  he  took  a  load  of  timber  back 
with  liim. 

Some  of  the  peoi)le  of  Greenland  liad  tried  to  make 
a  settleuK^nt  along  this  shore  which  Leif  discovei-ed, 
but  it  is  thought  that  th«^  Indians  drove  tliom  away. 
It  may  now  be  said  of  tliis  settlement  that  no  trace 
ot  it  has  ever  IxM-n  found,  although  the  rejiort  that 
the  Norsemen  ])ai(l  many  visits  to  the  shore  of  North 
Amei-ica  is  undoubtedly  ti'ue, 

Anotlitn-  bold  sea  ro\ei-  of  l*()i-tngal  sailed  four 
hundred  miles  from  land,  wher*^  he  ]>ickeil  u\>  a 
strangely  car\-ed  ]iaddlc  and  seNci'al  i>ieces  of  wood 
of  a  sort  not  to  be  found  in  Eui'ope. 


14 

St.  Brandon,  an  Irish  priest,  was  driven  in  a 
storm  far,  far  to  the  west,  and  landed  upon  the 
shore  of  a  strange  country,  inhabited  by  a  race  of 
people  different  from  any  he  had  ever  seen. 
-  All  this  time  the  bold  Portuguese  sailors  were 
venturing  farther  and  farther  down  the  coast  of 
Africa.  They  hoped  to  be  able  to  sail  around  that 
continent  and  up  the  other  side  to  India.  But  they 
dared  not  go  beyond  the  equator,  because  they  did 
not  know  the  stars  in  the  southern  hemisphere  and 
therefore  had  no  guide.  They  also  believed  that 
beyond  the  equator  there  was  a  frightful  region  of 
intense  heat,  where  tlie  sun  scorched  the  earth  and 
Avhere  the  waters  boiled. 

Many  marvelous  stories  were  told  about  the  is- 
lands which  the  sailors  said  they  saw  in  the  distance. 
Scarcely  a  vessel  returned  from  a  voyage  without 
some  new  story  of  signs  of  land  seen  by  the  crew. 

The  people  who  lived  on  the  Tariary  Islands  said 
that  an  island  with  high  mountains  on  it  could  be 
seen  to  the  west  on  clear  days,  but  no  one  ever 
found  it. 

Some  thought  these  islauds  existed  only  in  the 
imagination  of  the  sailors.  Otliers  thought  they 
were  floating  islands,  as  thoy  were  seen  in  many 
different  places.  Every  one  was  anxious  to  find 
them,  for  they  were  said  to  be  rich  in  gold  and  spices. 


15 

You  can  easily  understand  bow  excited  many  peo- 
ple were  in  regard  to  new  lands,  and  how  they 
wished  to  find  out  whether  the  earth  was  round  or 
not.  There  was  l)ut  one  way  to  find  out,  and  that 
was  to  try  to  sail  around  it. 

For  a  long  time  no  one  was  brave  enough  to  ven- 
ture to  do  so.  To  start  out  and  sail  away  from  land 
on  this  unknown  water  was  to  the  people  of  that 
day  as  dangerous  and  foolhardy  a  journey  as  to  try 
to  cross  the  ocean  in  a  balloon  is  to  us  at  the  present 
time. 


MARCO  POLO. 


In  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  about  two 
hundred  years  before  the  time  of  Columbus,  a  boy 
named  Marco  Polo  lived  in  the  city  of  Venice. 

Marco  Polo  belonged  to  a  rich  and  noble  family, 

and  had  all  the  advantages  of 
study  that  the  city  afforded. 
He  studied  at  one  of  the 
finest  schools  in  the  cit}'  of 
Venice.  This  city  was  then 
famous  for  its  schools,  and 
was  the  seat  of  culture  and 
learning  for  the  known  world. 
"When  Marco  Polo  started 
for  scliool  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  did  not  step  out  into  a  street,  as  you  do. 
Instead,  he  stepped  from  his  front  doorstep  into 
a  boat  called  a  gondola;  for  Venice  is  built  upon 
a  cluster  of  small  islands,  and  the  streets  are  water 
ways  and  are  called  canals. 

The  gondolier,  as  the  man  who  rows  the  gondola 

IG 


Marco  Polo. 


17 

is  called,  took  Marco  -whorovcr  lio  wished  to  i^o. 
Sometimes,  as  they  .i^'lided  nioiii;-,  the  <;-(>ii(lolici- would 
sing  old  Venetian  songs;  and  as  ]\raivo  Polo  lay  hack 
against  the  soft  cushions  and  listened  and  looked 
about  him,  ho  {  wondei-ed  if  anywhei-e  else  on 
earth  there  was  m  so  beautiful  a  citv  as  \'eni(M\ 
For  the  sky  was   M  ,  very  blue,  and  often  its  color 


A  Scene  in  Venice. 


was  reflected  in  tli<^  M'atei-;  the  biiildinu's  were  u'l'ace- 
fid  and  lieautiful,  the  sun  was  warm  and  liri-ht.  and 
tlie  ail'  was  bahny. 

In  this  delightful  ci1_\'  ^Farco  Polo  li\-ed  unlll  Ik^ 
was  sevtMiteen  )'eai's  of  age.  Al)out  this  tinif.  \\\< 
father,  who  owned  a  lai'u'e  eoniniei'cial  Ikhi^.'  in  ('mi- 
stantino|ile.  told  .Ahii-eo  t  lial  he  niiulit  u'o  w  ii  li  liim  ( 'ii 


DIS.     .\N1>    KXI- 


18 

a  long  journey  to  Eastern  countries.  Tlie  boy  was 
very  glad  to  go,  and  set  out  with  liis  father  and  his 
uncle,  who  were  anxious  to  trade  and  gain  more 
wealth  in  the  East.     This  was  in  the  year  1271. 

The  three  Polos  traveled  across  Persia  into  China, 
and  across  the  Desert  of  Gobi  to  the  northwest, 
where  they  found  the  great  ruler,  Kublai  Khan. 
This  monarch  was  a  kind-hearted  and  able  man.  He 
wanted  to  help  his  subjects  to  become  civilized  and 
learned,  as  the  Europeans  were.  So  Kublai  Khan 
assisted  the  two  elder  Polos  in  their  business  of 
trading,  and  took  Marco  into  his  service. 

Soon  Marco  learned  the  languages  of  Asia,  and 
then  he  was  sent  by  the  khan  on  errands  of  state  to 
different  parts  of  the  country.  He  visited  all  the 
great  cities  in  China,  and  traveled  into  the  interior 
of  xVsia  to  places  almost  unknown  at  the  present 
time. 

At  length  the  three  Polos  expressed  a  desire  to  re- 
turn to  Venice.  The  great  khan  did  not  wish  to 
part  with  them,  but  he  at  last  consented ;  for  he 
found  that  by  going  they  could  do  him  a  service. 
The  service  required  was  their  escort  for  a  beautiful 
young  princess  who  was  to  be  taken  from  Peking  to 
Taljriz,  where  she  was  to  marry  the  Khan  of  Persia. 

It  was  difficult  to  find  any  one  trustworthy  enough 
to  take  charge  of  so  important  a  person  on  so  long 


19 

and  dangerous  a  journey.  But  Kublai  Khan  had 
faith  in  the  Polos.  They  had  traveled  more  than 
any  one  else  he  knew,  and  were  cautious  and  brave. 

So  he  gave  them  permission  to  return  to  their 
home,  and  requested  them  to  take  the  princess  to 
Tabriz  on  the  way.  It  was  decided  that  the  journey 
should  be  made  by  sea,  as  the  land  route  was  so 
beset  by  robbers  as  to  be  unsafe.  Besides,  the  Polos 
were  fine  sailors. 

They  started  from  the  eastern  coast  of  C'hina,  and 
continued  their  voyage  for  three  years,  around  the 
peidnsula  of  Cochin  China,  and  through  the  Indian 
Ocean  to  the  Persian  Gulf.  Here  they  went  ashore, 
and  tlien  proceeded  by  land  across  Persia  to  Ta])riz. 
They  left  the  princess  in  that  city,  and  resumed 
theii"  journey  by  way  of  the  Bosporus  to  Venice. 

AVhen  they  reached  Venice  they  found  that  they 
had  been  forgotten  l)y  their  friends.  They  had  Ijeen 
away  twenty-four  years,  and  in  tliat  time  (n-erything 
had  changed  very  much.  Tliey  tliemsclves  liad 
grown  older,  and  their  clothes  differed  from  those 
worn  by  the  Venetians;  for  fashiojis  changed  even 
in  the  thirteentli  century,  although  not  so  often  as 
they  change  at  the  present  time.  It  is  no  woiidci- 
that  the  Polos  were  not  known  until  they  recallc<l 
themselves  to  the  memory  of  theii'  friends. 

One  eveninji-  tliev  invited  a  few  of  their  old  friends 


20 

to  dinner,  and  during  the  evening  they  brought  out 
three  old  coats.  These  coats  they  proceeded  to  rip 
apart,  and  out  from  the  linings  dropped  all  kinds  of 
precious  stones — diamonds,  sapphires,  emeralds,  and 
ruhies.  In  this  way  these  wary  travelers  had  hidden 
their  wealth  and  treasure  while  on  their  perilous 
journey.  The  visitors  were  astonished  at  the  sight 
of  so  great  riches,  and  listened  eage^-ly  to  the  ac- 
counts of  the  countries  from  which  they  came. 

Soon  after  the  return  of  ]\[arco  Polo  to  Venice,  he 
took  part  with  his  countrymen  in  a  l)attle  against  the 
Genoese.  The  city  of  (lenoa,  like  the  city  of  Venice, 
had  a  hirge  trade  with  the  East.  Tliese  two  cities 
were  rivals  in  trade,  and  were  very  jealous  of  each 
other.  Whenever  Venetian  ships  and  those  of  the 
(lenoese  met  on  the  ^Mediterranean  Sea,  the  sailors 
found  some  way  of  starting  a  quarrel.  The  quarrel 
quickly  led  to  a  sea  fiuht,  and  it  Avas  in  one  of  these 
combats  that  Marco  Polo  engaged.  The  Venetians 
were  defeated,  and  Marco  Polo  was  taken  ])risoner 
and  cast  into  a  dungeon.  Here  he  si)ent  his  time 
in  wi-itiiig  the  wonderfnl  book  in  which  he  described 
liis  travels. 

^riie  d<'scri]>1i(iiis  Polo  gave  of  the  East  were  as 
wr»n<lerful  as  fairy  tales,  lie  told  of  conntries  rich 
in  gold,  sih'er,  aiid  precious  stones,  and  of  islands 
where  diamonds  sparkled  on  the  shore.     The  riders 


21 


A  Sea  Fight. 


of  tlicst'  coiuitrit'S  Avc^rc  uariiuMits  of  ridi  silk  mv- 
(TtMl  witli  j^'littt'i-iiii;'  o-(.iiis.  and  dwelt  in  |i;d;irt.'s,  the 
I'oot's  of  wln(di  Were  made  of  li'tdd. 

Ill'  d('sci-il)(Ml  !j,-(>ldcii  ( 'atliay,  witli  its  vast  cities 
ri(di  ill  luniiufactiiros,  and  also  ('ipaiiu'o.  Ilinilii-taii. 
and  liido-(diiiia.  Mo  know  of  tlic  Indie-  I-lands. 
ricli  in  spices,  and  lie  descidked  Sikeria.  and  told  of 


22 

the  sledges  drawn  by  dogs,  and  of  the  pohir  bears.  The 
fact  that  an  ocean  washed  the  eastern  coast  of  Asia  was 
proved  Ijy  him,  and  this  pnt  at  rest  forever  the  theory 
that  there  was  an  impassable  swamp  east  of  Asia. 

Tills  book  by  Marco  Polo  was  eagerly  read,  and 
the  facts  that  it  stated  were  so  remarl<able  that 
many  people  refused  to  believe  them.  It  stirred 
others  with  a  desire  to  travel  and  see  those  lands  for 
themselves. 

Traveling  by  land,  however,  was  very  dangerous, 
because  of  the  bands  of  rol)])ers  l)y  wdiich  the 
country  was  occupied.  These  outhiws  rob1)ed  every 
one  whom  they  suspected  of  liavdng  any  money,  and 
often  murdered  travelers  in  order  to  gain  tlieir  pos- 
sessions. 8ea  travel,  too,  was  just  as  dangerous, 
but  in  a  dii¥(n'ent  way. 

You  will  remember  why  sailoi'S  dared  not  venture 
far  out  upon  the  ocean  and  seai'cli  for  a  water  route 
to  the  Eastern  countries  and  islands.  The  time  was 
soon  coming,  liowever,  when  they  would  daro  to  do 
so,  and  two  wonderful  inventions  helped  navigators 
very  much. 

()ne  came  from  the  finding  of  the  loadstone,  or 
natural  magnet.  This  is  a  stone  wliich  has  the 
power  of  attracting  iron.  A  steel  needle  ru1)bed  on 
it  becomes  magnetized,  as  we  say,  and,  when  sus- 
pended by  the  center  and  allowed   to  move  freely, 


23 


always  swings  around  until  it  points  nortli  and 
south.  Hung  on  a  pivot  and  inclosed  in  a  box,  this 
instrument  is  called  the  mariners'  compass.  It  was 
of  great  importance  to  sailors,  because  it  always  told 
them  which  way  was  north.  On  cloudy  days,  and 
during  dark,  stormy  nights, 
when  the  sun  and  stars  could 
not  be  seen,  the  sailors  could 
now  keep  on  their  way,  far 
from  land,  and  still  know 
in  which  direction  they  were 
going. 

The  other  invention  was 
that  of  the  astrolabe.     This  ^^""'''"  Compass. 

was  an  instrument  by  means  of  which  sailors  meas- 
ured the  height  of  the  sun  above  the  horizon  at 
noon,  and  could  thus  tell  the  distance  of  the  ship 
from  the  equator.  It  is  in  use  on  all  the  ships  at 
the  present  time,  but  it  has  been  greatly  improved, 
and  is  now  called  the  quadrant. 

The  compass  and  the  astrolabe,  together  with  im- 
proved maps  and  charts,  made  it  possible  for  naviga- 
tors to  t('ll  where  their  ship  was  Avheii  out  of  sight  of 
land  or  in  the  midst  of  stoi-m  and  darkness.  This 
made  them  more  courageous,  and  they  ventured  a 
little  farther  from  the  coast,  but  still  iio  one  dared 
to  sail  far  out  upon  the  Sea  of  Darkness, 


COLUMBUS. 


One  day  a  man 
appeared  in  Por- 
tiig-al,  who  said  lie 
was  certain  that  the 
earth  was  ronnd, 
and  that  he  could 
reach  India  hy 
sailing"  westward. 
Every  one  huigiied 
at  him  and  ashed 
him  how  he  wonld 
like  to  try.  JJo 
answere<l    that    he 

Christopher  Columbus.  WOuld     Sail      I'OUlld 

the  eartli,  if  any  one  would  provide  him  with  ships. 

l-*t_M)})l('  j<'('re(l  and  sc()ffod. 

"It"  tlie  earth  is  a  spliere,"  they  said,  "in  order  to 
sail  ronnd  it  you  must  sail  uphill!  AVho  ever  heard 
of  a  shi})  sailing  uphill  .^" 

But  this  man,  whos(^  nanu:"  was  Christopher  Co- 
lumbus, renudned  hrm  in  his  helief. 

24 


25 

When  a  boy,  Coluiiibus  had  listciKMl  (>a<i:(M-ly  to  tho 
stones  the  sailors  told  about  strange  lands  and  won- 
derful islands  ])eyond  the  water.  He  was  in  the 
liabit  of  sitting  on  the  wharves  and  watcliing  the 
ships.  Often  he  would  say,  "I  wish,  oli,  how  I  wish 
I  could  be  a  sailor  !  " 

At  last  his  father,  who  was  a  wool  conibcr,  said  to 
hini,  "]\Iy  son,  if  you  really  wish  to  biM-omc  a  sailoi', 
I  will  send  you  to  a  school  where  you  will  be  tauglit 
navigation." 

CV)lunil)US  was  delighted  at  this,  and  told  his  father 
that  he  would  study  diligently,  lie  was  sont  to  the 
University  of  Pavia,  where  he  learned  all  the  geog- 
i-a]»hy  that  was  tlx'n  known,  as  well  as  how  to  draw 
nKqts  and  charts.  He  became  a  skillful  penman,  and 
also  studied  asti-onomy,  geometry,  and  Latin. 

b)ut  he  did  not  s})end  a  loiig  time  at  his  studies, 
for  at  tli(^  age  of  fourteen  lie  went  to  sea.  AVhat  lie 
had  learneil,  liowevei',  gave  him  an  exeell«Mit  gronnd- 
worh".  arid  fi'om  this  time  foi'wai'd  h<'  made  nsf  of 
(n'ery  o]>])ortunity  to  inform  himself  and  to  become 
a  scliolai'ly  man. 

His  lii-st  voyag(^  was  niade  with  a  distant  relatix'e. 
who  was  an  ad\'entui"ous  and  dai'ing  man.  and  wlio 
was  ev(M'  ready  to  fiu-ht  with  any  one  willi  whom  lif 
could  |>i(d>:  a  (|narrcl.  In  c(,ui'sc  ot'  tinif  <'olinMtins 
commanded  a  ship  of  his  own.  and  hrcann-  know  n  as 


26 

a  bold  and  daring  navigator.  He  made  a  voyage 
along  the  coast  of  Africa  as  far  south  as  Guinea, 
and  afterwards  sailed  northward  to  Iceland. 

At  an  early  day  he  became  familiar  with  the 
wildest  kind  of  adventure,  for  at  this  time  sea  life 
on  the  Mediterranean  was  little  more  than  a  series 
of  fights  with  pirates.  Some  say  that  during  one  of 
these  conflicts  Columbus's  ship  caught  fire.  In 
order  to  save  his  life,  he  jumped  into  the  water  and 
swam  six  miles  to  shore,  reacliiiig  the  coast  of  Por- 
tugal. Others  say  that  he  was  attracted  to  that 
country  by  the  great  school  of  navigation  which 
Prince  Henry  had  established.  However  that  may 
be,  he  appeared  at  Lisbon  at  the  age  of  thirty-five, 
filled  with  the  idea  of  sailing  westward  to  reach 
those  rich  Eastern  countries  in  which  every  one  was 
so  much  interested. 

He  was  laughed  at  for  expressing  such  an  idea. 
It  is  not  pleasant  to  be  laughed  at,  but  Coluinbus 
was  courageous  and  never  wavered  in  his  Ijelief. 

"The  earth  is  a  sphei-e,"  he  said;  "those  foolish 
stories  of  its  being  flat  and  supported  on  a  turtle's 
back  cannot  be  true." 

But  those  persons  to  whom  he  talked  only  laughed 
the  more. 

"Is  there  anything  more  foolish,"  they  asked, 
"than    to   believe   that   there  are    people    who   walk 


27 


with  their  heels  up  and  with  their  heads  liangiiig 
down!"  "  Tliink  of  a  place  where  the  trees  grow 
with  their  branches  down,  and  wherc^  it  snows,  hails, 
and  riiins  upward  !  " 

Evxn-ybody  thought  him  an  idle  dreamer. 

Columljus  tried  to  persuade  King  John  to  furnish 
him  with  ships  and  allow  him  to  test  his  belief.  But 
King  John  cruelly  deceived  Columbus;  for,  after  ob- 
taining his  maps  and  charts,  be  sent  off  an  expedi- 
tion of  his  own.  lie  lioi)ed  in  this  way  to  gain  the 
glory  of  the  discovery.  The  sailors  whom  he  sent, 
however,  were  not  brave  enough  to  continue  the 
voyage,  and  returned,  frightened  by  a  severe  storm. 

Columbus  was  so  disgusted  by  the  treachery  of 
King  John  that  he 
made  up  his  mind  to 
leave  Portugal  and  go 
to  Spain.  !So,  taking 
his  little  son,  Diego, 
with  him,  lie  started 
on  his  journey.  He 
traveled  from  place  to 
place,  trying  to  find  some  person  wlio  would  help  him 
make  liis  ideas  known  to  King  Ferdinand  and  (^ueen 
Isabella.  Rethought  that  if  he  could  talk  with  them 
he  could  }>ersua<le  them  to  furnish  him  witli  ships. 

One  dav  he  came  to  a  conxcnt  called   La  lij'ibida. 


tf*  fllr^Mf  ■  ^fc-'-  ■■■  Big:  iduJ^Sshks.  - 


Convent  of  La  Rabida. 


29 

Here  Die,2:o,  who  was  we«iry  and  tliirsty,  bo^-irod  ]jis 
father  to  stop  and  ask  for  a  drink  of  watci-.  Colum- 
bus knocked  at  the  big  iron  gate,  and  w]nhi  lie  was 
conversing  with  the  attenchmt  a  })riest  a[)]»i'<)a('lH'd. 

This  priest  was  attracted  by  the  noble  benriiig  and 
refined  s})eech  of  Cohinibus,  and  saw  at  once  that 
he  was  not  a  beggar.  He  asked  him  what  he  wished, 
and  Columbus  related  his  story. 

The  good  })riest  believed  in  him  and  said  he  would 
tr}'  to  influence  the  king  and  (pieen  to  furnish  him 
with  ships.  The  pi-iest  brought  the  matter  Ix'fore 
the  king;  but  at  this  time  Spain  was  at  war  with  tlie 
Mooi"s,  and  King  Ferdinand  had  no  time  to  attend 
to  anything  else.  Colundjus  was  patient  and  waited. 
But  as  yeai'  after  year  passed  and  brc)Ught  no  pros- 
pect of  olitainiiig  the  ships  he  wishe<b  his  hopes  fell. 
After  seven  long,  weai'v  years  of  waiting,  he  was 
about  to  leave  Spain  in  despair. 

Just  as  he  was  leaving,  however,  a  message  was 
brought  to  him  from  the  rpieen,  asking  him  t(^  ex- 
plain his  plans  t<>  liei'  once  more,  ('olnmbus  did  so, 
and  the  ([iKM-n  wa<  so  fully  eonvince(l  that  >he  ex- 
claimed ;  "  r  will  ]»i'ovi(h'  ships  anil  men  t'oi-  you,  if  T 

ha\"e  to  jiledu'e  mv  jewels  ill   ol'def  t()  do  so!" 

Three  ships  were  lilleil  out  for  the  xoyau'e.  TIie-e 
ships  wei'e  vrvy  dilferent  from  tho<e  we  see  id-day. 
They  were  light,  frail  Inirks  ealle.i  earavel<,  and  two 


30 

of  them,  the  Pinta  and  Nhla,  had  no  decks.  The 
third,  the  Santa  3Iaria,  had  a  deck.  It  was  upon 
this  largest  caravel  that  Columbus  placed  his  flag. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  1492,  the  little  fleet  set 
sail  from  Palos,  entering  upon  the  most  daring  ex- 
pedition ever  undertaken  by  man.  The  people  of 
the  town  gathered  on  the  wharf  to  see  the  depar- 
ture of  the  vessels.  Man}^  of  them  had  friends  or  rel- 
atives on  Ijoard  whom  they  expected  never  to  look 
upon  again.  Sad  indeed  was  the  sight  as  the  little 
caravels  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  and  faded  from  view. 

After  sailing  a  few  days,  the  Phda  Ijroke  her 
rudder.  This  accident  the  sailors  took  to  l>e  a  sign 
of  misfortune.  They  tried  to  persuade  Columbus  to 
put  back  to  Palos,  l)ut  he  would  not  listen  to  such  a 
suggestion.  Instead  of  sailing  Ijack,  he  pushed  on 
to  the  Canary  Islands.  Here  his  ships  Avere  delayed 
three  weeks,  after  which  they  contiiiued  the  voyage 
into  unknown  waters. 

After  they  had  sailed  westward  for  many  days,  the 
sailors  began  to  show  signs  of  alai'in,  and  they  im- 
plored Columbus  to  return.  He  tried  to  calm  their 
fears.  He  described  the  I'ich  lands  lie  hoped  to  tind, 
and  reminded  them  of  tlie  wealth  and  fame  this 
voyage  would  bring  to  them.  So  they  agreed  to 
venture  a  little  farther. 

At  last  the  compass  began  to  point  in  a  different 


31 

direction,  and  the  sailors  became  almost  panic- 
stricken.  They  thought  they  were  sailing  straight 
to  destruction,  and  when  they  found  that  Columbus 


The  Pinta. 

would  not  listen  to  tlieir  entreaties  they  planned  a 
mutiny.  Though  Colinn])Us  knew  wliat  the  sailors 
were  plotting,  lie  kept  steadily  on  his  eonrse. 
Fortunately,  signs  of  hind  so(^n  began  to  a]>i»ear. 
A.  branch  with  berries  on  it  lioated   past,  a   rudely 


32 

carved  paddle  was  picked  up,  and  land  birds  were 
seen  flying  over  the  ships. 

A  prize  had  been  offered  to  the  sailor  who  first 
saw  land,  and  all  eagerly  watched  for  it  night  and 
day.     At  last,  early  one  morning,  a  gun  was  fired  from 


The  Landing  of  Columbus. 


tlie  P'nitu,  and  all  know  that  land  had  l)e<>n  siuhtoil. 
The  sailors  were  filled  with  the  wildest  joy,  and 
crowded  around  (\:)lund>us  with  expressions  of  grati- 
tude and  admii'ation,  in  great  contrast  to  the  dis- 
trustful manner  in  wliich  they  had  treated  him  a  few 
days  Ijefore. 

The  land  tlu^y  were  approacliing  was  very  Leauti- 


33 

fill.  It  was  a  grooii,  siiiiny  island  witli  pleasant 
groves  in  which  birds  were  singini^.  ]'H'antii'ul 
flowers  were  blooming  all  around  and  the  trees  wei-e 
laden  with  fruit.  The  island  was  iidiabited,  too,  for 
groups  of  strange-looking  men  were  seen  running  to 
the  shore. 

At  length  the  ships  cast  anchor,  the  boats  were 
lowered,  and  (V)lumbus,  clad  in  rich  scarlet  and 
carrying  in  his  hand  the  royal  banner  of  S2)ain,  was 
taken  ashore.  As  soon  as  he  stepped  on  the  beach, 
CV)lumbus  knelt  down  and  gave  thanks  to  (Jod.  He 
then  planted  the  bnnne]'  of  Si)aiii  in  the  ground  and 
took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  Fer- 
dinand and  Isaliclla. 

This  island  Ik^  call«'d  San  Salvador,  becaus(^  lie  and 
his  crow  had  been  saved  from  a  watery  grave,  and 
also  because  October  12  was  so  named  in  the  Siianish 
calejidar. 

(*olnnd)US  su])]>osod  San  Salx'ador  to  be  one  of  th(^ 
islands  n(\'ir  tli<'  coast  of  Asia,  Imt  it  is  one  of 
the    Bahamas. 

Thus  was  America  discovered  on  the  I'Jtli  of 
October,  14!>_\ 

The  natixes  of  this  island  wer(^  ditTei'eiit  from  any 
])eo]>le  1he  S])aniarils  ha<]  e\'er  si^'U.  They  vcre  of 
a  re<ldisli-bi-(^xvn  color,  and  had  liiu'li  elieelc  Ikuk^s, 
small  blaclv  e\-es.  and  sti'aighl  blael-'  hair.    They  were 

1>1S.    ANI>    i:\I'.  — ;i 


34 

entirely  naked,  and  their  bodies  were  greased  and 
painted.  Their  hair  was  decorated  with  feathers, 
and  many  of  tliem  w^ere  adorned  with  curious  orna- 
ments. 

They  were  at  first  very  much  afraid  of  the  white 
men  and  kept  far  away.  But  gradually  they  lost 
their  fear  and  brought  the  Spaniards  presents  of 
bananas  and  oranges.  Some  of  them  gathered 
courage  enough  to  toucli  tlie  Spaniards  and  pass 
their  hands  ov^er  them,  as  if  to  make  certain  that 
they  were  real  beings.  These  men,  whose  skin  was 
so  white,  they  thought  to  be  gods  who  had  come 
down  from  the  sky. 

When  Columbus  asked  thom  whore  they  found  the 
gold  of  which  many  of  their  ornaments  were  made, 
they  pointed  toward  tlie  south.  Tlien  (bluml)us 
took  some  of  them  with  him  to  search  for  the  land 
of  gold. 

The  next  land  lie  reached  was  the  island  of  Cuba, 
Thiid<;ing  that  this  was  a  part  of  India,  he  called  the 
natives  Indians.  He  then  sailed  to  Haiti,  Avhich  he 
called  Ilispauiola,  or  "Little  Spain."  For  mori^  than 
three  months  Columlms  cruised  among  these  islands, 
where  the  air  was  always  balmy,  the  sky  clear, 
and  the  land  beautiful.  The  sailors  believcMl  tlu^se 
new  lands  were  Paradise,  and  wanted  to  live  there 
always. 


35 

At  lenp:tl),  however,  tliey  tlioiiglit  of  returning  to 
their  home  and  friends.  So,  taking  sevei'al  Indians 
with  them,  and  many  curious  baskets  and  orna- 
ments, they  set  out  on  their  return  voyage. 

Tliis  voyage  proved  to  be  very  stormy,  and  at  one 
time  it  seemed  certain  that  the  ships  would  go  down ; 
but  after  a  time  the  sea  grew  quiet,  and  on  the  15th 
of  ]\rareli  they  sailed  again  into  the  little  harbor  of 
Palos. 

You  can  imngine  the  excitement. 

"What!  has  Columbus  returned?"  asked  the 
peox)le.  "  Has  he  reall}^  found  the  East  by  sailing 
west  ward  t " 

"Yes,  he  has,"  was  the  answer.  "He  has  found 
India." 

Columbus  was  given  a  royal  welcome.  The  king 
and  qui'en  held  a  great  celebration  in  his  honor  at 
Barcelona;  and  when  the  Indians  marched  into  court 
the  astonishment  of  every  pei'son  Avas  great.  The 
Indians  w(^rc  half  naked;  their  dark  ])odies  were 
])aintcd,  and  tlieii-  liea<]s  w(M-e  adoi'iied  with  feathers. 
'J'liey  cari'ied  baskets  of  stM^d  pc^arls,  and  wore  strange 
ornaments  of  gold.  Some  carricMl  the  skins  of  wild 
animals,  and  other's  cari'ied  beautiful  birds  of  brilliant 
plumau-e.  E\-ei'y  inhabitant  of  Barcelona  rejoiced, 
and  tlie  1  tells  were  rung  in  honor  of  the  great  dis- 
coverer. 


36 

It  was  a  liappy  time  for  Coluniljus.  He  felt  rex)aid 
for  all  Ills  suffering  and  trouble. 

King  Ferdinand  and  Queen  Isabella  now  wished 
Columbus  to  go  again  to  these  newly  discovered  is- 
lands and  search  for  the  gold  that  was  thought  to  be 

tlierc.      You   may  be   sure 
Columbus  was  willin<r  to 


r^ 


--^^''^ 


The  Return  of  Columbus. 


go.  So  they  fltt<Ml  out  sev<'iitcen  vessels,  maniie(l 
by  tit'teeii  hundred  men,  and  iiIjkmmJ  ('olunibus  in 
command  of  this  fleet.  It  was  no  ii-ou1)le  b)  find  men 
who  weiv  willing  to  go  on  this  voyage.  All  wanted 
to  see  Ihe  new  woi'ld  1liat  ha<l  been  r(»und, 

Dnring  this  second  voyage,  \\lii<"h  was  made  in 
Id!))),  ('olumbns  disco\"ei'e(l  .lainai<  a.  Puerto  liieo, 
and  some  small  islands  in  the  (.'aribbean   Sea. 


37 

On  the  islaiul  of  Jamaica  tlio  Spaniards  came 
upon  tlio  footprints  of  some  straii<;-(i  animal  which 
they  tliong-lit  to  be  a  dragon.  This  dragon  tliey 
believ'cd  was  gnarding  the  gold  which  they  snpi>osed 
was  on  the  island.  So  they  ran  hack  to  their  ships 
in  fear, 

{ 


Later  on  the}'  l>e- 
came  used  to  seeing  these  foot- 
jirints,  and  t'onnd  that  1hev  w<M'e  those  of  alligators. 
At  Pnerto  Ivico  they  snft'ered  from  a  savage  attack 
made  by  the  natives,  who  shot  ])()ison(^d  arrows  and 
threw  jax'elins  at  tliiMn.  l>nt  in  most  other  ]>laces  the 
natives  wei'e  vei'v  tVieiidly. 

('ohinibus  tlionuht  this  land  was  a  ])art  of  tlie 
e;ist  coast  of  Asia,  and  he  conld  not  nndtM'stand 
wliy  he  dill   not  find  cities  such  as  ^Nlarco  Polo  had 

d('sel'ilie(l, 

('obnnbns  then  saih^l  to  lIis])aniola,  whei-e  he 
jtlanted  a  cohmy,  of  which  he  \\as  made  goxci'iior. 
It  was  not  an  easy  mattei'  to  go\-ern  this  i>laiid,  be- 
cause of  the  Jealousies  and  (jnarrels  ot'  tlie  Sjianiarils, 


4471^6 


38 

At    length    Columbus  returued  to    Spain,   ill  and 
discouraged. 

Columbus  made  a  third  voyage  in  1498,  during 
which  he  sailed  along  the  coast  of  Brazil,  and  dis- 
covered Trinidad  Island.  Here  his  ships  encoun- 
tered currents  of  fresh  water  which  flowed  with  great 
force  into  the  ocean.  This  led  Columbus  to  think 
that  so  large  a  river  must  flow  across  a  great  conti- 


Map  Showing  how  Columbus  Discovered  America. 


nent,  and  strengthened  his  opinion  that  tlie  land  was 
a  part  of  the  great  continent  of  Asia. 

After  sailing  farther  north  along  the  Pearl  Coast, 
which  was  so  called  because  of  the  pearls  found 
there,  he  returned  to  Hispaniola.  Here  he  found  the 
Spaniards  engaged  in  an  Indian  war,  and  quarreling 
among  themselves.  Some  officials  Ijecame  jealous 
of  him,  bound  him  witli  chains,  niid  sent  him  back 
to  Spain  a  prisoner.     Ferdinand  and  Isabella  were 


39 

much  displeased  at  this  treatment  of  Columbus,  and 
set  him  free. 

A  fourth  voyage  was  made  by  Columbus  in  1502, 
during  which  he  explored  the  coast  of  Honduras  in 
search  of  a  strait  leading  to  the  Indian  Ocean.  In 
this  venture  he  was  unsuccessful.  On  his  return  to 
Spain  he  found  his  friend  Queen  Isabella  very  ill,  and 
nineteen  days  after  his  arrival  she  died. 

After  Isabella's  death  the  king  treated  Columbus 
cruelly  and  ungratefully.  The  peoj^le  bad  become 
jealous  of  him,  and  his  last  days  were  spent  in  pov- 
erty and  distress.  He  never  knew  that  he  had  dis- 
covered a  new  continent,  but  supposed  that  he  had 
found  India. 

Seven  years  after  his  death  the  king  repented  of 
his  ingratitude,  and  caused  the  remains  of  Columbus 
to  be  removed  from  the  little  monastery  in  Valladolid 
to  a  monastery  in  Seville,  where  a  magnificent  mon- 
ument was  erected  to  his  memory.  In  1536  his 
bones  were  removed  to  the  Cathedral  of  San  Do- 
mingo in  Hispaniola,  and  later  they  were  taken  to 
the  catlicdral  in  Havana. 

Wlien  the  United  States  took  possession  of  Cuba, 
the  Spanish  disinterred  the  bones  of  Columbus  again 
and  carried  thorn  to  Si)ain,  placing  them  in  the 
cathedral  of  Seville,  where  they  now  are. 


VASCO   DA  GAMA. 


Vasco  da  Gama. 


Both  tlit.'  Spaniards  and  tlie 
Portuguese  were  cut  off  fro]n 
trade  witli  the  East,  because 
the  Turks  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  Constantiiiojtle.  In 
consequence  of  this,  tlie  navi- 
gators of  both  countries  wei-e 
making  earnest  efforts  to 
find  a  water  route  to  India. 
Spain,  as  you  know,  liad  faith  in  (V)lunil)us,  an<l 
helped  him  in  his  })hin  of  trying  to  ]-eac]i  India  l)y 
saihng  westward.  But  tlie  Portuguese  liad  a  differ- 
ent idea.  They  spent  tlieir  time  and  money  in  iry- 
ing  to  sail  round  the  African  coast,  in  the  helicf  tliat 
India  coukl  be  reached  by  means  of  a  southeast 
passage. 

Tliis  soutlieast  passage  couhl  be  found  only  by 
crossing  the  "burning  zone,"  as  tlie  jtart  of  tlie  earlli 
near  the  equator  was  called ;  and  all  sailors  feared  to 
make  the  attempt. 

40 


41 

It  was  thoiiglit  almost  iini)o,ssiblo  to  cross  tliis 
burning  zone,  and  tlio  t'ow  navigators  who  had 
ventured  as  far  as  tlie  e(iuator  iiad  turncMl  l)a('k  in 
tear  of  steaming  whirlpools  and  of  liery  belts  of  heat. 

In  14S0,  six  years  before  Columlnis  discovered 
America,  the  King  of  Portugal  sent  IJarthohniicw 
Diaz,  a  bold  and  daring  navigator,  to  lind  the  end  of 
the  African  coast. 

Bartliolomew  Diaz  sailed  tlirougli  the  fieiy  zone 
without  meeting  any  of  the  (b'eadful  misfortunes 
wliieh  tlie  sailors  so  feared.  AVhen  lie  had  saile<l  Ijc- 
yond  the  ti'opic  of  Capricorn,  a  severe  storm  arose. 
The  wind  blew  his  three  vessels  directly  south  foi- 
tldrteen  days,  during  which  time  he  lost  siglit  of 
land.  AVhen  the  sun  shone  again,  Diaz  headed  his 
vessels  eastward,  but  as  no  land  a})peare<l,  Ik^  again 
changed  the  direction,  this  time  heading  them 
toward  the  north.  Aft(U-  sailing  northward  a  short 
time,  land  was  reached  about  two  hundred  miles  east 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Diaz  now  pushed  on  four  hundre(]  miles  farther 
along  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  saw  the  wide  expanse 
of  the  Indian  Ocean  before  him.  ITere  the  sailors 
refuse(l  to  go  any  farther,  and  Diaz,  although  he 
wanted  vei-y  much  to  go  ahead  and  try  to  reach 
India,  was  obliged  to  return. 

On  the  way  home,  the  vessels  passe<l  chise  to  the 


42 


cape  which  projects  from  the  south  coast  of  Africa, 
and  Diaz  named  it  Stormy  Cape,  in  memory  of  the 
frightful  storm  which  liid  it  from  view  on  the  way 
down.  When  they  reached  Lisbon,  however.  King 
John  said  that  it  should  be  called  the  Cape  of  Good 

Hoi^e,  because  they 
now  had  hope  that 
the  southern  route 
to  India  was  found. 
Diaz  won  much 
praise  for  his  brav- 
ery and  patience  in 
i    making  this   voyage.      lie 
had  proved  that  the  stories 
about  the  fiery  zone  w<'re 
false,  {ind  that  the  African 
coast  had  an  end. 

It    remained,    however, 

for  Yasco    da   Gaina,    then 

a    young    man     of     about 

twenty    years    of    age,    to 

prove    that    India   could   be    reached    in    this   way. 

In  14!)7  Da  Gama  sailed  from  Lisbon  to  the  Ca})e 

of   Good   IIo})(',    doubled    the    cape,  and    proceeded 

across  the  Indian  Ocean  to  Hindustan. 

He  returned  to  Lisbon  iii  1499,  liis  ships  loaded 
with  the  rich  products  of  the  East,  including  cloves, 


Spanish  and  Portuguese  Vessels. 


43 


spices,  pepper,  ginger,  and  nutmeg.  TTe  also  Ijrouglit 
with  liini  ricli  robes  of  silk  and  satin,  costly  gems, 
and  many  articles  made  of  carved 
ivory,     or    of    gold     and    of    silver, 

The  King  of  PortTigal  was 
greatly  pleased  with  what  Da 
Gama  had  accomplished,  and 
his  successful  voyage  was  the 
wonder  of  the  day. 

The  same  year  that  Da  Gaina 
returned  from  India  by  a  route 
around  the  south  end  of  Africa, 
with  his  ships  loaded  with  rich 
produce,  Sebastian  Cabot  returned  from  a  fruitless 
voyage  to  the  strange,  barren  coast  of  North  America. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  the  voyages  of  Columbus 
and  the  Cabots  were  thought  unsuccessful  as  com- 
pared with  the  voyage  Da  Gama  had  just  finished. 

No  one  then  dreamed  of  a  New  World;  all  were 
searching  for  the  Orient — for  golden  Cathay. 


Costume  of  Explorers. 


JOHN  AND  SEBASTIAN  CABOT'S  VOYAGES. 


John  Caeot  was  a  Venetian  inorcliant,  and  a  bold 
seafaring  man.  For  purposes  of  trade  lie  had  taken 
11})  his  lionie   in   Biistol,  England.     Bristol  at  that 

time  was  the  most  important 
seaport  of  England,  and  car- 
ried on  a  largo  fishing  trade 
with  Iceland. 

WluMi  the  news  of  the  voy- 
ag(^  of  Coinmbns  reached 
Th'istol,  Cabot  begged  the 
English  king,  PTenry  VII,,  to 
let  him  go  and  see  if  he  conld 
find  a  shorter  ronte  to  the  In- 
dies. Tli(^  king  gave  his  consent,  and  told  Cabot  to 
t;ik<'  ])()sscssion  of  any  land  he  might  discover  for 
England. 

(-'abot  filled  orit  his  vessel  and,  taking  his  son  Se- 
bastian and  a  crew  of  eighteen  men  with  him,  set 
sail  in  1497.  Mo  lieade(l  his  shi))  westward,  hoping 
to  reach   the    Spic(i  Islands  and  that    part    of  Asia 

44 


Sebastian  Cabot. 


45 

which  WJis  so  ricli  in  gold,  and  wliicli  ( 'oliunbiis  ]iad 
failed  to  lind.  At  last,  oiio  siiiiuy  nioniiiig  iu  June, 
hind  was  sighted  in  the  distance. 

This  land,  which  was  pi'obahly  a  part  of  Nova 
Scotia,  proved  to  be  a  lonely  shore  with  (h'lisc  I'oi-- 
ests.  Cabot  called  it  "Land  First  Seen."  It  was 
entirely  deserted,  not  a  human  being  nor  a  hut  of 
any  kind  being  in  sight. 

Here  Cabot  and  liis  son  Sel»astian  and  sonic  of 
his  crew  Avent  ashore,  and  were  the  lirst  white  men, 
excepting  the  Norsemen,  to  step  ii})on  the  mainland 
of  America.  Up  to  this  time,  Colundjus  had  dis- 
covered only  islands  of  the  West  Indies.  A  A'ear 
later  ilian  this  he  discovered  the  continent  of  South 
Ameiica.  Cabot  and  his  com})anions  erected  a  large 
ci'oss  on  the  shore,  and  planted  two  flagpoles  in  the 
ground,  from  Avhich  they  unfurled  the  English  and 
Venetian  flags.  Then  they  returned  to  tlieir  shi})S, 
and,  after  sailing  about  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence, 
went  back  to  England. 

King  TTenry  and  the  peo])h3  recei\ed  John  (^ibot 
with  great  lionor.  Everybody  thought  that  Cabot  had 
reacheil  Asia,  and  lie  also  believed  that  he  had.  He 
was  called  iho,  "Oi-eat  Admiral."  and  th(^  i^eople  of 
Rristol  ran  after  him  on  the  street,  shouting  his  name 
and  trying  in  ev«M"yAvay  to  slunv  liini  howiniieh  jliey 
admired  and  honored  him.     The  kiiiu'  ga\e  him  fifty 


46 

dollars  in  money,  which  seems  to  us  in  these  days  a 
small  sum  for  so  long  and  dangerous  a  voyage.  Be- 
sides this,  the  king  urged  him  to  undertake  another 
voyage. 

About  a  year  later  Sebastian  Cabot  made  the 
second  voyage,  and  this  time  the  gloomy  shore  of 
Labrador  was  reached. 

Sebastian  on  his  voyage  sailed  far  north,  passing 
many  icebergs,  and  seeing  many  strange  and  won- 
derful sights. 

On  great  blocks  of  ice  that  floated  past  the  ship  he 
saw  immense  white  bears.  These  bears  were  fine 
swimmers,  and  would  often  leap  into  the  water  and 
bring  out  fish,  which  they  would  devour  greedily. 
The  waters  were  filled  with  fish,  and,  as  the  shijj 
neared  the  shore,  they  gi-ew  so  numerous  as  almost 
to  retard  the  sailing  of  the  vessel. 

"Now,"  said  Cabot,  "the  English  will  not  have  to 
go  to  Iceland  any  more  for  fish." 

But  Cabot  knew  that  the  lands  he  was  s<'eking 
were  warm  lands.  So  he  turned  his  vessel  south, 
hoping  to  reach  some  opening  which  would  lead  to 
them.  To  his  great  surprise,  he  found  the  coast  very 
long  and  without  any  opening,  and  he  sailed  on  and 
on  as  far  as  Maryland,  taking  possession  of  the  land 
for  England. 

At  places  along  this  shore  were  seen  Indians,  clad 


47 

in  skins  and  furs  of  wild  animals,  fishing  from  little 
canoes.  Stags  much  larger  than  any  in  England 
were  seen  in  great  numbers,  and  wild  turkeys  and 
game  of  all  sorts  abounded. 

Then  Sebastian  Cabot  began  to  think  that  this  was 
a  part  of  Asia  never  known  before,  and  he  set  sail 
for  home  to  t(dl  the  wonderful  news. 

When  he  reached  Bristol  he  found-  everybody  still 
interested  in  India.  It  was  a  water  route  to  India 
that  was  wanted,  and  not  a  new  country.  People 
cared  more  about  reaching,  golden  Cathay  than 
about  finding  new,  barren,  lands. 

So,  although  King  Henry  was  proud  to  know  that 
the  new  land  belonged  to  England,  it  was  eleven 
years  before  he  made  any  further  attempt  to  send 
shi})s  there  to  take  possession. 


AMERIGO  VESPUCCI. 


Ameetgo  Vespucci  was  a  native  of  Florence,  Italy, 
and  a  friend  of  Colnnil)ns.  He  was  an  educated  man 
and  vei'}^  fond  of  study. 

At  the  time  in  which  he  lived  it  was  difficult  to 
find  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  places,  and  few 
people  were  ahle  to  calculate  either  correctly.  Ves- 
pucci was  skillful  in  the  work  of  computing  longi- 
tude, and  he  was  also  well  versed 
in  the  history  of  all  the  voyages 
that  had  l)een  made.  He  was 
familiar  with  the  facts  of  astron- 
omy and  geography  then  known, 
and  was  well  ahle  to  conduct 
the  sailing  of  a  ship  into 
strange  waters. 
It  is  believed  that  Vespucci  made 
six  voyngcs.  He  did  not  command  liis  own  vessels, 
as  Columhus  did,  hut  he  went  with  the  expiMlition  as 
assistant  or  adviser  to  the  captai]],  k(M>])iiig  records 
of  the  voyag<'  and  making  maps  and  charts. 

48 


Amerigo  Vespucci. 


49 

In  his  first  voyage,  made  in  1497,  Vespucci  reached 
tlie  coast  of  Honduras,  and  sailed  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Here  he  found,  proba])ly  on  the  coast  of 
Yucatan,  a  queer  little  sea  village  which  reminded 
him  of  the  great  city  of  Venice  near  his  home. 


A  Queer  Little  Sea  Village. 

The  liouses  in  this  villag<'  wei'o  iria<le  of  wood,  and 
were  hnilt  on  piles  ruuniiig  out  into  the  water. 
These  houses  wei'e  connect(Ml  with  tlu*  sliore  l)y 
hridgcs,  whicli  were  constructed  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  could  ])o  di-awn  up,  tlius  cutting  off  all 
connection  with  the  land.  In  one  house  Vesjnicci 
fcnmd  six  hundred  })eople.  Avery  large  family,  was 
it  not? 

i>:s.    ANi)   i;xi'    -1 


50 

Continuing  the  voyage  around  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
Vespucci  saw  many  strange  and  wonderful  things. 
Tlie  natives  roasted  and  ate  frightful  animals,  which 
from  the  descrij^tion  given  us  we  now  know  to  have 
been  alligators.  They  also  made  cakes,  or  patties, 
out  of  fish,  and  baked  them  on  red-hot  coals.  The 
Spaniards  were  invited  to  taste  these  dainties,  and 
those  of  the  sailors  who  did  so  found  the  strange 
food  very  palatable. 

After  sailing  round  the  coast  of  Florida,  th-e  ships 
headed  northeast,  landing  every  now  and  then  for 
the  purpose  of  trading  with  the  Indians.  The 
Spaniards,  finding  but  little  gold  and  none  of  the  rich 
spices  for  which  they  were  looking,  at  last  decided 
to  return  home. 

Just  before  sailing,  some  friendly  Indians  helped 
the  Spaniards  to  make  an  attack  upon  a  cannibal 
island.  The  attack  was  successful,  and  about  two 
hundred  cannibals  were  taken  prisoners  and  carried 
to  Spain,  where  they  were  sold  as  slaves. 

Ves})Ucci  made  a  second  voyage  in  1-1-99,  in  which 
ho  sailed  down  the  African  coast  to  the  Cape  Verde 
Islands,  and  then  headed  his  ship  almost  directly 
west.  IIo  siuhtod  land  at  Cape  St.  Roque,  and  then 
sailed  northwest,  exploring  tljo  north  coast  of  Sonth 
America,  then  called  the  Pearl  Coast.  After  this  he 
returned  to  Spain. 


51 

Shortly  after  tho  return  of  Vespucci  to  Spain,  he 
accepted,  an  offer  to  take  service  under  the  Portu- 
guese flag. 

In  1501  he  set  sail  from  Lisbon  with  three  cara- 
vels, under  this  flag.  He  reached  the  coast  of  South 
America  near  Cape  St.  Roque,  and  sailed  south  as 
far  as  the  South  Georgia  Islands. 

As  he  proceeded  southward,  he  found  the  country 
was  inhabited  by  fierce  Indians,  who  ate  their  fellow- 
creatures.  He  did  not  like  the  natives,  as  you  may 
suppose ;  but  he  thought  the  country  was  beautiful, 
with  the  wonderful  verdure  and  foliage  of  the  trop- 
ics, and  the  queer  animals  and  briglit-colored  birds. 

Great  was  the  joy  of  Vespucci  when  he  discovered 
in  the  forests  large  quantities  of  a  sort  of  red  dye- 
wood  which  was  prized  very  highly  l)y  Europeans. 
This  wood,  which  had  hitherto  been  found  only  in 
Eastern  countries,  was  called  brazil  wood;  and  be- 
cause of  its  abundance  there,  he  gave  the  name  Brazil 
to  that  part  of  the  country. 

The  exp«Mlition  sailed  slowly  on  and  at  length  lost 
sight  of  land.  It  is  thought  that  A^espucci  headed 
the  ships  southeast  because  he  wished  to  find  out 
whether  there  was  land  or  not  in  the  Antarctic  Ocean, 

As  they  sailed  farther  and  farther  sonth,  the  cli- 
mate became  very  disagre(\abl(\  The  wind<  u-rewcold 
and  forbidding,  fields  of  floating  ice   hindered   the 


52 

progress  of  the  vessel,  and  the  nights  became  very 
long. 

The  sailors  grew  frightened,  fearing  that  they  were 
entering  a  land  of  constant  darkness.  Their  fear  be- 
came greater  when  a  terrific  storm  arose.  The  sea 
grew  rough,  and  the  fog  and  sleet  i)re vented  the 
sailors  from  seeing  whether  land  was  near  or  not. 
The  land  which  they  had  hoped  to  find  now  became 
an  added  danger. 

One  day,  through  the  sleet  and  snow,  the  sailors 
saw  with  terror  a  rocky,  jagged  coast  in  front  of  them. 

This  land  proved  to  be  the  South  Georgia  Islands, 
and  was  a  wretched  and  forlorn  country  composed  of 
rocks  and  glaciers,  and  entirely  deserted.  For  a  day 
and  a  half  they  sailed  in  sight  of  this  frightful  shore, 
fearing  each  moment  that  their  shi])  would  be  cast 
on  the  rocks  and  that  they  would  all  perish.  As 
soon  as  the  weather  permitted,  therefore,  Vespucci 
signaled  his  fleet,  and  the  ships  were  headed  for 
home,  reaching  Portugal  in  1502. 

This  voyage  secured  Brazil  for  Portugal,  and  added 
greatly  to  the  geographical  knowledge  of  the  day. 

The  ancients  had  said  that  no  continent  existe*! 
south  of  the  equator.  But  the  great  length  of  coast 
along  which  Vespucci  had  sailed  proved  that  the  land 
was  not  an  island.  It  was  plainly  a  continent,  and 
south  of  the  equator. 


53 

Vespucci  called  tlio  land  ho  found  tlie  New  ^Vorld. 
For  a  time  it  was  also  called  the  Fourth  Part  of  the 
p]artli,  the  other  three  parts  l)eiiig  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa.  In  l.")!)?  a  German  writer  published  an  ac- 
count of  the  discovery,  in  which  he  called  the  new 
country  America,  in  honor  of  Aniericus  Yespucius,^ 
the  discoverer. 

This  land  was  not  connected  in  any  way  with  the 
discovery  of  Columbus,  for  he  was  supposed  to  have 
found  Asia. 

The  name  America  was  at  first  applied  only  to  that 
part  of  the  country  which  we  now  call  Brazil,  but 
little  by  little  the  name  was  extended  until  it  in- 
cluded the  whole  of  the  West(n'n  Continent. 

You  will  he  glad  to  know  that  Yespucci,  in  the  time 
of  his  snccess,  did  not  forg(^t  his  old  friend  Colum- 
bus, who  was  then  })oor  and  in  disgrace.  Yespucci 
visited  iiim  and  did  all  he  couhl  to  assist  him. 

After  Yesjnicci  had  made  three  other  voyages  to 
the  Xew  ^Vorld,  ]\o  was  given  an  iiii]»ortaiit  govern- 
ment |H)siti(>n  in  Spain,  which  he  held  duiing  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

1  Aniericus  Vcspucius  is  the  Latin  form  of  Amerigo  Vespucci. 


PONCE   DE   LEON. 


You  have  heard  many  surprising  things  which 
the  people  of  the  fifteenth  century  beUeved.  It 
seems  ahnost  impossible  for  us  to  think  that  those 

people  really  had  faith  in  a 
Fountain  of  Youth;  yet  such 
is  the  case. 

Tills  fountain  was  supposed 
to  exist  somewhere  in  the  New 
A7orld,  and  it  was  thought  that 
if  any  one  should  bathe  in 
its  waters,  he  would  become 
young  and  would  never  grow 
old   again. 

In  1513  Ponce  de  Leon,  who  was  then  governor  of 
Puerto  Rico,  sailed  from  that  island  in  search  of  this 
Fountain  of  Y^outh.  De  Leon  was  an  old  man,  and 
he  felt  that  his  life  was  neaily  over,  unless  he  should 
succeed  in  finding  this  fountain.  At  the  same  time  De 
Leon  wished  to  gain  gold,  for,  though  he  had  ah'ead}^ 
made  a  fortune  in  Puerto  Rico,  he  was  still  very  greedy. 

54 


Ponce  de  Leon. 


55 

The  expedition  under  his  guidance  sailed  among  the 
Bahamas  and  other  islands  near  them,  and  at  length 
reached  a  land  beautiful  with  flowers,  balmy  with 
warm  breezes,  and  cheerful  witli  the  song  of  liirds. 
Partly  because  this  discovery  was  made  on  Easter 
Sunday,  which  the  Spaniards  called  Pascua  Florida, 
and  partly  because  of  the  abundance  of  flowers,  De 
Leon  called  the  land  Florida. 

He  took  possession  of  this  delightful  country  for 
Spain,  and  then  spent  many  weeks  exploring  its 
coast.  After  sailing  north  as  far  as  St.  Augustine, 
and  finding  neither  gold  nor  the  fabled  Fountain  of 
Youth,  De  Leon  turned  his  vessels  and  proceeded 
south,  doubling  the  Florida  Cape.  Shortly  afterwards 
he  became  discouraged  and  returned  to  Puerto  Pico. 

In  1521  De  Leon  went  again  to  Florida,  this  time 
for  the  purjwse  of  plnnting  a  colony.  The  Indians 
were  very  angry  that  the  white  men  should  try  to 
take  their  land,  and  they  made  a  fierce  attack  upon 
De  Leon  and  his  party.  In  this  attack  De  Leon  re- 
ceived a  severe  wound,  which  compelled  liim  to  go 
to  Cnl)a  for  care  and  rest.  There  he  died  after  much 
suffering. 

De  I^eon  never  found  the  Fountain  of  Youth,  nor 
were  the  fabled  waters  discovered  afterwards. 


BALBOA. 

The  Spanish  colonists  on  the  island  of  Hispaniola 
made  freqnent  visits  to  the  niaiidand,  searching  for 
the  rich  cities  of  which  Marco  Polo  had  written. 
'  "Word  reaclKHl  the  colonists  that  some  of  these  gold 
hunters  were  starving  at  a  place  called  Daiien,  and  a 
ship  was  innnediatel}^  sent  to  their  relief.  The  cargo 
of  the  slup  consisted  of  barrels  of  provisions  and 
ammunition. 

Imagine,  if  you  can,  the  amazement  of  the  com- 
mander of  the  expedition  when,  after  his  ships  were 
under  sail,  a  young  and  handsome  man  stepped  out 
of  one  of  the  harrels.  The  young  man  was  A^asco 
Nunez  Balboa.  He  had  chosen  this  way  to  escai)e 
from  Cuba,  where  he  owed  large  sums  of  money 
which  he  could  not  i>ay.  The  connnander  was  angry, 
and  Ihreatened  to  leave  Balboa  on  a  des(M't  island: 
but  at  length  he  took  ]»ity  (ui  the  young  man,  and 
allowed  him  to  remain  cm  board  the  shi}). 

AVIkmi  tlie  mainland  was  reaclnMl.  the  Spaniards 
who  were  already  there,  having  heard  of  the  cruelty 

56 


'.)( 


Balboa  Crossing  the  Isthmus. 


of  tlie  coniiiiaiider,  refused  to  let  liiiii  Liiid.  lie  there- 
fore put  otf  to  sea,  and  was  uever  lieard  of  au'aiii. 
Balboa  then  took  eoininand  of  the  men  and  l»egan 
inmiediately  to  explore  the  country. 


58 

He  made  a  friendly  alliance  with  an  Indian  chief, 
who  presented  him  with  gold  and  slaves.  The  Sj^an- 
iards  were  delighted  at  the  sight  of  so  much  riches. 
They  began  to  melt  and  weigh  the  gold,  and  at  last 
fell  to  quarreling  desperately  about  the  division  of  it. 

This  the  Indians  could  not  understand.  They 
knew  nothing  of  money,  and  valued  the  metal  only 
because  it  could  be  made  into  beautiful  ornaments. 

An  Indian  boy  who  had  heard  the  dispute  told  the 
Spaniards  that  if  they  cared  so  much  about  that  yel- 
low stuff,  it  would  be  wise  for  them  to  go  to  a 
country  where  there  was  enough  of  it  for  all. 

The  Spaniards  eagerly  questioned  him  regarding 
this  place.  The  boy  then  described  a  country  across 
the  mountains  and  to  the  south,  on  the  shores  of  a 
great  sea,  where  the  metal  was  so  plentiful  that  the 
natives  used  it  for  their  ordinary  drinking  cups  and 
bowls. 

Balboa  immediately  started  southward  across  the 
mountains  in  search  of  this  rich  country.  On  his 
way  he  came  upon  a  tribe  of  hostile  Indians,  who  at- 
tacked him,  l:)ut  who  fled  in  alarm  from  the  guns  of 
the  Spaniards. 

Taking  some  Indians  as  guides,  Balboa  pushed  on 
through  the  mountains,  and  on  September  25,  1513, 
from  one  of  the  highest  peaks,  looked  down  upon  the 
Pacific  Ocean, 


59 


Balboa  Discovering  the  Pacific. 

Witli  his  Spaniards  lie  descended  the  inonii- 

tniii,  and  in  four  days  readied  tlie  sliore  of  tliat 

'-  ''         niau'iiifi('(Mit   ])ody   of  water.      Bal1)oa    wad(Ml    out 

into  it  witli  liis  sword  in  liis  hand,  and  formally  took 

]-tossession  of  it  for  the  King'  of  Spain.      He  called  i1   tli<' 


60 

South  Sea,  because  lie  was  looking  toward  the  south 
when  be  first  saw  it ;  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  known 
by  this  name  for  many  years  afterward. 

On  this  shore  he  met  an  Indian  who  repeated  to 
him  the  same  story  that  the  Indian  boy  had  told 
about  the  rich  country  on  the  border  of  this  sea  and 
farther  to  the  south. 

Balboa  then  made  up  his  mind  to  find  this  country. 
Accordingly  he  returned  to  Darien,  and  sent  word  to 
the  Spanish  king  of  bis  great  discovery  of  the  South 
Sea. 

He  then  began  to  take  his  ships  apart,  and  to  send 
them,  piece  by  piece,  across  the  mountains  to  the 
Pacific  coast. 

This  was  an  enormous  undertaking.  The  journey 
was  a  very  difficult  one,  and  hundreds  of  the  poor 
Indians  who  carried  the  burdens  dropped  dead  from 
exliaustion. 

At  lengtli,  after  long  months  of  laltor,  four  ships 
were  thus  carried  across  the  mountains  and  rebuilt 
on  the  Pacific  coast.  These  wore  the  first  European 
vessels  ever  launched  on  the  great  South  Son.  Three 
hundred  men  were  in  I'eadiness  to  go  with  Balboa  on 
his  voyage  in  search  of  the  rich  country  of  the  South. 

A  little  iron  and  a  little  ])itch  were  still  needed  for 
the  shi})s,  and  Balboa  delayed  his  departure  in  order 
to  i^-et  these  articles. 


61 

The  delay  gave  his  eiieinies,  wlio  were  jealous  be- 
cause of  his  success,  time  to  carry  out  a  plot  against 
him.  They  accused  him  of  })lotting  to  set  u})  an  in- 
dependent government  of  his  own,  and  caused  him 
to  be  arrested  for  treason.  In  less  than  twentv-fou.r 
hours  this  brave  and  high-spirited  leader  was  ti-ied, 
found  guilty,  and  beheaded.  So  ended  all  his  amlji- 
tious  plans. 


MAGELLAN. 


One  of  the  boldest  and  most  determined  of  all  the 
early  explorers  was  Ferdinand  Magellan,  a  young 
Portuguese  nobleman.     He  felt  sure  that  somewhere 

on  that   long   coast   which   so 
many    explorers    had    reached 
he  would  find  a  strait  through 
which  he  would  be  able  to  pass, 
and  which  would  lead  into  the 
Indian  Ocean ;   and  so  Magel- 
lan   formed    the    idea    of    cir- 
cumnavigating  the   globe. 
He  applied   to  the  King  of 
Portugal  for  aid;   but  as  the  Portuguese  king  was 
not  willing  to  help  him,  he  went  to  Spain,  where  his 
plan  found  favor. 

Tlie  Spanisli  king  gave  him  a  fleet  of  five  vessels, 
and  on  September  20,  1519,  he  set  sail  for  the  Ca- 
nary Islands,  Continuing  the  voyage  toward  Sion-a 
Leone,  tiie  vess(3ls  wore  becabned,  and  foi*  a,  pei-iod  of 
three  weeks  tlioy  advanced  only  nine  miles.     Then  a 

62 


Ferdinand  Magellan. 


63 

terrific  storm  arose,  and  the  sailors,  wlio  had  f2:rumbled 
and  found  fault  with  everything  duriug  the  entire 
voyage,  broke  into  open  mutiny.  Tliis  mutiny 
jVIagellan  quickly  quelled  by  causing  the  princii)al 
offender  to  be  arrested  and  put  in  irons. 

The  voyage  was  then  continued,  and  land  was  at 
last  sighted  on  the  Brazilian  coast,  near  Pei-naml)uco. 

The  fleet  then  proceeded  down  the  coast  as  far  as 
Patagonia,  where  the  weather  grew  so  very  cold  that 
it  was  decided  to  seek  winter  quarters  and  postpone 
the  remainder  of  the  journey  until  si)ring.  This 
was  done,  Magellan  finding  a  sheltered  spot  at  Port 
8t.  Julian,  where  plenty  of  fish  could  be  obtained 
and  where  the  natives  were  friendly. 

These  native  Patagonians  Magellan  described  as 
being  very  tall,  like  giants,  with  long,  flowing  hair, 
and  dressed  scantily  in  skins. 

Great  hardships  had  been  endured  by  the  crew. 
Food  and  water  had  been  scarce,  the  storms  had  been 
severe,  and  suffering  from  cold  was  intense.  The 
sailors  did  not  believe  there  was  any  strait,  and  they 
begged  INlagellan  to  sail  for  home.  It  was  useless  to 
try  to  influence  this  determined  man.  Danger  made 
him  only  the  more  firm.  IMagellan  told  them  tliat  he 
would  not  r«'turn  until  he  had  found  the  opening  for 
whicli  he  was  looking. 

Then  the  mutinv  broke  out  anew.     P.ut  :\lagollau 


64 

by  Lis  prompt  and  decisive  action  pnt  it  down  in 
twentj'-foiir  hours.  One  offender  was  killed,  and 
two  others  were  put  in  irons  and  left  to  their  fate 
on  the  shore  when  the  ships  sailed  away. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  grew  warmer  the  ships 
started  again  southward.  After  nearly  two  months 
of  sailing,  most  of  the  time  through  violent  storms, 
a  narrow  channel  was  found,  in  which  the  water  was 
salt.  This  the  sidlors  knew  must  be  the  entrance  to 
a  strait. 

Food  was  scarce,  and  the  men  again  begged  Ma- 
gellan to  return  ;  but  he  firmly  refused,  saying :  "  I 
will  go  on,  if  I  have  to  eat  the  leather  off  the  ship's 
yards." 

So  the  ships  entered  and  sailed  through  the  wind- 
ing passage,  which  sometimes  broadened  out  into  a 
bay  and  then  became  narrow  again.  Among  the 
twists  and  windings  of  this  perilous  strait,  one  of  the 
vessels,  being  in  charge  of  a  mutinous  commander, 
escaped  and  turned  l)ack. 

On  both  sides  of  the  shore  there  were  high  moun- 
tains, the  tops  of  which  were  covered  with  snow,  and 
which  cast  gloomy  shadows  upon  the  water  below 
them. 

Think  of  the  fei^iugs  of  the  crew  when,  after  sail- 
ing five  weeks  through  this  winding  channel,  they 
came  out  into  a  calm  expanse  of  water.     Magellan 


65 

was  overcome  by  the  siglit,  and  shod  tears  of  joy. 
He  named  the  vast  waters  Ijeforo  him  Pacifie,  wliich 
means  "peaceful,"  because  of  their  conti-ast  to  the 
violent  and  stormy  Atlantic. 


Strait  of  Magellan. 


The  fleet  now  sailed  northwest  into  a  warmer 
climate  and  over  a  tranquil  ocean,  and  as  week  after 
wt'ck  pass(Ml  ;ind  no  land  was  seen,  the  sailors  lost 
all  lioi»e.  Th(n'  heg'an  to  think  tliat  this  ocean  had 
no  end,  an<l  that  tlu^v  iniuht  sail  on  and  on  forever. 

Tliese  poof  men  sufferiMl  \'ery  much  from  hi<'l\'  of 
food  and  watei*,  and  many  die(l  of  f;iminc.  The 
boastful  remark  of  Magellan  was  i'ccalle<l  wlieii  the 

Ms.    AMI    i;\l'.— 5 


66 

sailors  did  really  begin  to  eat  the  leather  from  the 
ship's  yards,  first  soaking-  it  in  the  water. 

Anxiously  these  worn  and  haggard  men  looked 
about  for  signs  of  land,  and  at  length  they  were  re- 
warded. The  Ladrone  Islands  were  reached,  and 
supplies  of  fresh  vegetables,  meats,  and  fruits  were 
obtained.  From  the  Isles  de  Ladrones,  or  "Isles 
of  Robbers,"  the  fleet  proceeded  to  the  Philip- 
pines. 

Here  Magellan  knew  that  he  was  near  the  Indian 
Ocean,  and  realized  that  if  he  kept  on  in  his  course 
he  would  circumnavigate  the  globe. 

It  was  on  one  of  the  Philippine  Islands  that  this 
"Prince  of  Navigators"  lost  his  life  in  a  skirmish 
with  the  natives.     He  was,  as  usual,  in  the  thickest 

r 

of  the  fight,  and  while  trying  to  shield  one  of  his 
men  was  struck  down  by  the  spear  of  a  native. 

One  of  his  ships,  the  Victoria,  continued  the  voy- 
age around  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  on  September 
G,  1522,  with  eighteen  weary  and  half-starved  men 
on  board,  succeeded  in  reaching  Spain. 

Great  hardships  had  been  endured,  but  the  won- 
dei-ful  news  they  brought  made  up  in  some  measure 
for  their  suffering. 

This  was  the  gi'eatest  voyage  since  the  first  voyage 
of  Columbus,  and  the  strait  still  Ijoars  the  name  of  the 
remarkable  man  whose  courage  and  strength  of  pur- 


67 

pose  led  to  the  accomplishment  of  one  of  the  greatest 
undertaking's  ever  recorded  in  liistory. 

This  wonderful  voyage  of  Magellan's  proved  be- 
yon<l  doubt  that  the  earth  is  round.  It  also  i)roved 
that  South  America  is  a  continent,  and  that  there  is 
no  short  southwest  passage. 

After  this  voyage  all  the  navigators  turned  their 
attention  to  the  discovery  of  a  northwest  passage. 


HEENANDO    CORTES. 


The  Spaniards  who  lived  on  the  island  of  Hispan- 
iola  sent  frequent  expeditions  to  the  mainland  in  the 
hope  of  finding  gold. 

Hernando  Cortes,  a  dashing  young  Spaniard  with 
a  love  of  adventure  and  a  reckless  daring  seldom 
seen,  was  given  command  of  one  of  these  ex})editions. 

In  March,  1519,  he 
landed  on  the  coast  of 
Central  America,  with 
about  six  hundi'ed  men, 
ten  heavy  guns,  and 
sixteen  horses.  Here 
Cortes  fouiid  the  na- 
tives in  large  numhers 
arrayed  against  liini.  A 
fierce  l:)atUe  was  fouglit. 
But  tlie  firearms  of  tlie 
Si)aniai'(ls  IVigliteiKMl  tli<>  harliariaiis,  and  wlien  the 
cavalry  ariived  the  Indians  lied  in  terror.     The  In- 

G8 


Hernando  Cortes. 


69 

dians,  who  had  never  seen  liorses  ))efore,  tlion^ht 
the  man  riding  the  hor.se  was  a  part  of  the  animal, 
and  that  these  strange  creatnres  were  sent  l»y  the 
gods.  Fear  made  tli(^  Indians  lielpless,  mid  it  was 
easy  for  Cortes  to  gain  a  victory  over  tlicDi. 

After  this  victory  Cortes  sailed  northward  along 
the  coast  of  San  Juan  de  Ulloa.  The  nH lives  of  tliat 
region  had  heard  of  the  wondei'ful  white-skiniu'd  and 
bearded  men  who  bore  charmed  lives,  and  tiiey 
thouglit  that  these  men  W(^re  gods.  Th(\v,  therefore, 
treated  the  Spaniards  in  a  friendly  manner,  and 
brought  gifts  of  flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables,  and 
also  ornaments  of  gold  and  silver  to  Cortes. 

Here  Cortes  landed  and  founded  the  city  of  Vera 
( h'uz,  which  is  to-da}'  an  important  sea])ort  of  Mex- 
ico. The  native  Indians  in  this  place  wei'c  called 
Aztecs.  Some  of  their  chiefs,  who  })aid  a  visit  to 
Cortes,  told  him  of  the  great  Emperor  ]\[onteznma, 
who  was  rich  and  })Owerfnl,  and  who  lived  inland,  in 
a  wondei'fnl  city  built  in  a  lake. 

By  these  chiefs  Cortes  sent  to  ]\rontezunia  presents 
of  collars,  bi'acelets,  and  ornaments  of  glass,  an  arm- 
chair riclily  carved,  and  an  embroidered  crimson  ca]). 
In  return,  ^NFontezuma  sent  shields,  helmets,  and 
[ilates  of  pnre  gold,  sandals,  fans,  gold  oi-nameiits  of 
exquisite  worlvinanshi]),  togethei'  witii  i-ohcs  of  fine 
cotton    interwoven  with    feathei'   work,   so   skillfnlly 


70 

done  that  it  resembled  painting.     The  cap  which 
Cortes  had  sent  was  returned  filled  with  gold  dust. 

The  great  Montezuma  also  sent  a  message  to 
Cortes,  saying  that  he  would  be  glad  to  meet  so 
brave  a  general,  but  that  the  road  to  the  Mexican 
capital  was  too  dangerous  for  an  army  to  pass  over. 
He  also  promised  to  pay  a  yearly  tribute  to  the 


Aztecs. 

Spanish    king    if    Cortes   and    his    followers   would 
depart  and  leave  him  in  peace. 

The  Spaniards  were  jubilant  when  they  saw  the  su- 
perb gifts.  They  felt  certain  that  this  great  emperor 
must  have  enormous  wealth  at  his  command,  and  in 
spite  of  the  warning  message,  most  of  them  wished 
to  start  immediately  for  the  Mexican  capital.  Some, 
however,  thought  such  a  course  very  unwise;  Mon- 
tezuma, they  said,  was  so  powerful  a  ruler  that  it 


71 


was  absurd  to  attack  him  with  their  small  force,  and 
they  advised  returning  to  Cuba  for  a  large  number 
of  soldiers. 

But  Cortes  had  his  own  ideas  on  the  suljject.  So 
he  secretly  ordered  Ins  ships  to  be  sunk,  and  then, 
all  chance  of  retreat  being  cut  off,  the  entire  force 
proceeded  toward  Mexico,  August  IG,  1519. 

After  a  long  march,  the  Spaniards  began  to  ascend 
the  plateau  on  which  the  city  of  Mexico  is  situated,  and 
finally  reached  the  top  of  it,  seven  thousand  feet  high. 

They  found  the  climate  on  this  plateau  temperate 
and  balmy.  The  fields  were  cultivated,  and  beau- 
tiful flowers  grew  wild  in  profusion. 

During  the  march  the  Spaniards  passed  many 
towns  containing  queer  houses  and  temples.  They 
entered  many  of  the  temples,  threw  down  the  idols, 
and  took  possession  of  ornaments  of  A'alue.  At 
length  they  saw  in  the  distance  a  city  which  was 
built  in  a  salt  lake.  Three  avenues,  built  of  stone, 
led  across  the  water  to  it. 

These  avenues,  which  were  four  or  five  miles  in 
length,  were  guarded  on  both  sides  by  Indians  in 
canoes.  The  avenu(\s  continued  thfough  the  city, 
meeting  in  the  center,  where  the  great  tem}»le  was 
situated. 

Tlu^  tem])le  was  inclosed  by  a  liuiiv  stone  wall, 
and   contained    twenty   pyi'ainids,   each    a    hundred 


72 

feet  in  height.  Nearly  all  of  the  houses  were  two 
stories  high,  and  were  built  of  red  stone.  The  roofs 
were  flat,  with  towers  at  the  corners,  and  on  top  of 
tlie  roofs  there  were  beautiful  flower  gardens. 


Meeting  of  Cortes  and  Montezuma. 

Into  tliis  reniarkal)lo  town  Cortes  and  liis  follow- 
ers inarched.  ]Monteznina  received  his  unwek'oine 
guests  witli  every  mark  of  friendship,  and  witli 
nnicli  pomp  and  ceremony.  Tlie  great  em})eror  was 
carried  on  a  litter,  wliich  was  richly  decoratf^l 
with  gold  and  silver.     The  nobles  of  his  court  sur- 


73 

rounded  him,  and  hundreds  of  his  retainers  were 
drawn  up  in  line  behind  him. 

The  first  thing,  when  Cortes  and  Montezuma  met, 
was  the  customary  exchange  of  i)resents.  Cortes  i)re- 
sented  Montezuma  with  a  chain  of  colored  glass 
beads,  and  in  return  the  Aztec  ruler  ga\'e  Cortes  a 
house  which  was  large  enough  to  accommodate  all 
of  the  Spaniards. 

For  ten  days  these  two  men  met  each  other  and 
exchanged  civilities,  Cortes  pretending  to  Ije  paying 
a  friendly  visit,  and  Montezuma  feeling  puzzled  and 
uncertain. 

At  length  Cortes  induced  Montezuma  to  go  to  the 
house  where  the  Spaniards  were  living,  and  then, 
when  he  got  him  there,  refused  to  allow  him  to  leave, 
thus  keeping  him  a  prisoner  in  his  own  city. 

This  daring  act  aroused  the  suspicions  of  the 
Aztecs.  But  Cortes  used  all  his  cunning  to  deceive 
these  simple-hearted  people  and  to  make  them  con- 
tinue to  think  tliat  the  Spaniards  were  gods.  Still, 
the  Aztecs  were  beginning  to  feel  very  bitter 
toward  Cortes  and  his  followers  because  of  the  dis- 
respect witli  which  they  treated  tlie  Aztec  temples 
and  gods.  The  Spaniards  were  constantly  tlirowing 
these  gods  out  of  the  tc^nples.  Even  their  gi'cat  god 
of  war  was  not  safe. 

Cortes  openly  derided  this  image,  calling  it  trash. 


74 

and  proposing  to  erect  the  emblems  of  the  Spanish 
religion  in  its  place  in  the  Aztec  temples. 

Now,  the  Aztec  god  of  war  was  a  frightful  image 
with  golden  serpents  entwined  about  the  body.  The 
face  was  hideous,  and  in  its  hand  was  carried  a  plate 
upon  which  were  placed  human  hearts  as  sacrifices. 
But  to  the  Aztecs  the  image  was  sacred,  and  this 
insult,  together  with  many  others  which  had  been 
offered  their  gods,  made  the  natives  very  angry. 

One  day  the  Aztecs  discovered  that  some  of  the 
Spaniards  had  died.  This  knowledge  dispelled  the 
fear  that  their  unbidden  visitors  were  gods,  and 
they  attacked  the  Spaniards  with  great  fury. 

The  Aztec  warriors  wore  quilted  cotton  doublets 
and  headdresses  adorned  with  feathers.  They  carried 
leather  shields,  and  fought  fiercely  with  bows  and 
arrows,  copper-pointed  lances,  javelins,  and  slings. 
Though  l)y  comparison  few  in  numbers,  the  Span- 
iards, who  were  protected  by  coats  of  mail,  made 
great  havoc  with  their  guns  and  horses. 

The  battle  IjetAveen  these  unequal  forces  raged  Avith 
great  fury,  and  for  a  time  the  result  was  uncertain. 
Cortes  compelled  Montezuma,  his  prisoner,  to  show 
himself  on  the  roof  of  his  house  and  try  to  persuade 
the  Aztecs  to  stop  fighting. 

The  Indians,  however,  no  longer  feared  their 
emperor,  and   instead   of   obeying  him,  they  made 


75 


him  a  target  for  their  arrows  and  stones.  In  the 
midst  of  the  figbt,  the  great  Montezuma  was  finally 
knocked  down 
and  killed  by 
one  of  his  for- 
mer subjects. 

After  a  des- 
perate struggle, 
the  Spaniards 
were  forced  to 
retreat.  "While 
making  their 
escape  over  the 
bridges  of  the 
city  they  were 
attacked  by  In- 
dian warriors 
in  canoes,  and 
more  than  half 
of  their  number 
were  killed. 
Notwithstand- 
ing this  defeat 
and  the  loss  of 

so  many  men,  Cortes  did  not  give  up  liis  design  of  con- 
quering Mexico.  He  made  an  nlliniicc  witli  hostile 
tribes  of  Indians,  and  again  attacked  tlie  city. 


Aztec  Ruins. 


76 

The  Aztecs  had  now  a  new  king,  named  Gua-te- 
niot-zin,  who  was  as  brave  and  determined  as  Cortes 
himself.  Gruatemptzin  made  preparations  to  oppose 
Cortes,  and  during  the  terrible  siege  which  followed 
never  once  thought  of  surrendering  or  of  asking  for 
peace. 

The  Spaniards  made  attack  after  attack,  and  ter- 
rible battles  were  fought,  in  which  the  loss  on  both 
sides  was  very  great.  During  one  of  these  battles 
( 'ortes  was  nearly  captured,  and  it  seemed  as  though 
the  war  god  was  to  be  avenged  upon  the  man  who 
had  so  insulted  him.  But  a  young  Spaniard  rushed 
to  the  assistance  of  Cortes,  and  with  one  blow  of  his 
sword  cut  off  the  arms  of  the  Indian  who  had  dared 
to  seize  the  Spanish  leader. 

After  a  time  the  Aztecs  found  themselves  pris- 
oners within  their  own  city.  The  Spaniards  liad  cut 
off  all  means  of  escape,  and  the  Indians  were  starv- 
ing to  death.  Their  sufferings  were  terrible,  and 
hundreds  dropped  down  daily  in  the  streets.  Yet 
the  proud  king  Guatemotzin  refused  to  submit,  and 
Cortes  ordei-ed  a  final  attack.  After  furious  figliting 
Guatemotzin  was  captured,  and  the  Aztecs  surren- 
dered. Their  cruel  religion,  with  its  strange  gods  and 
human  sacrifices,  was  now  overthrown. 

Cortes,  with  his  few  followers,  nevermore  than  one 
thousand  trained  soldiers,  had  succeeded  in  conquer- 


77 

ing  a  country  larger  than  Spain.  Over  a  million 
Mexicans  had  peiished,  and  those  that  I'eniained  left 
the  city  and  fled  to  the  mountains. 

In  this  way  the  magnificent  civilization  of  the 
ancient  Mexicans  was  destroyed.  Shi})loads  of  treas- 
ures were  sent  by  Cortes  to  the  Spanish  king,  Charles 
v.,  who  rejoiced  at  the  glory  gained  for  his  country. 


FRANCISCO  PIZAERO. 


Among  the  men  who  had  been  with  Balboa,  and 
who  had  heard  of  the  wonderful  country  of  the  Incas, 
was  Francisco  Pizarro.  He  determined  to  find  this 
ricli  country  and  to  conquer  it. 

Securing  a  band  of  about  two  hundred  men,  well 
armed  and  mounted  on  sti'ong  horses,  he  led  them,  in 

spite  of  terrible  hardships, 
over  mountains,  through  val- 
leys, and  across  plateaus  to 
Cajamarca,  the  city  where 
the  Inca,  or  king,  was  then 
staying. 

The  natives  gazed  at  the 
Spaniards  in  wonder  and 
dread.  These  simple  people 
thought  that  the  white-faced, 
bcai'ded  strangers,  who  car- 
ried tliun(lerl)f)lts  in  their  liands,  and  who  rode  such 
fi'iglitful-looking  animals,  were  gods.  In  spite  of 
their  i'ear,  tin;  Indians  received  the  strangers  kindly, 
and  gave  them  food  and  slielter. 

78 


Francisco  Pizarro. 


79 

That  evening,  Pizarro  and  De  Soto,  taking  with 
them  thirty-five  horsemen,  visited  the  Inca  and  ar- 
ranged with  him  for  a  meeting  next  day  in  tlie  open 
square.  It  was  a  strange  visit.  The  Inca  was  sur- 
rounded by  his  slaves  and  chieftains,  and  was  very 
polite  to  the  strangers. 

But  the  Spaniards  began  to  feel  very  uneasy.  An 
army  composed  of  thousands  of  Indians  was  en- 
camped only  two  miles  away ;  and  compared  with  it, 
the  two  hundred  men  of  Pizari'o  appeared  powerless. 
The  situation  of  tlie  Spaniards,  should  the  Inca  de- 
cide to  oppose  them,  seemed  without  hope. 

Pizarro  scarcely  slept  that  night.  He  lay  awake 
planning  how  he  might  take  the  Inca  prisoner. 

The  next  day,  about  noon,  the  Indian  pi'ocession 
approached  the  market  place.  First  came  attendants 
who  cleared  the  way,  then  followed  nobles  and  men 
of  high  rank,  richly  dressed,  and  covered  with  orna- 
ments of  gold  and  gems.  Last  came  the  Inca,  car- 
ried on  a  throne  of  solid  gold,  which  was  gorgeously 
trimmed  with  the  plumes  of  tropical  birds. 

The  Indian  monarch  wore  rich  garments  adorned 
with  gold  ornaments,  and  around  his  neck  was  a 
collar  of  superb  emeralds  of  great  size  and  l)rillian('y. 
He  took  his  position  near  the  center  of  tlu^  s(inaro, 
his  escort,  numbering  several  thousand,  gathered 
around  him. 


80 

Looking  about,  the  Inca  failed  to  see  any  of  tlie 
Spaniards. 

"  Where  are  the  strangers ! "  he  asked. 

Just  then  Pizarro's  chaplain,  with  his  Bible  in  his 
hand,  approached  the  Inca.  The  chaplain  said  that 
he  and  his  people  had  been  sent  by  a  mighty  prince 
to  beg  the  Inca  to  accept  the  true  religion  and  con- 
sent to  be  tributary  to  the  great  emperor,  Charles  V., 
who  would  then  protect  them. 

The  Inca  grew  very  angry  at  this,  and  declared 
that  he  v.ould  not  change  his  faith  nor  be  any  man's 
tributary.  He  then  indignantly  threw  the  sacred 
book  upon  the  ground,  and  demanded  satisfaction 
from  the  Spaniards  for  this  insult  to  liim. 

At  this  the  priest  gave  the  signal,  and  the  Span- 
iards rushed  from  their  hiding-places  and  attacked 
the  panic-stricken  Indians.  The  Inca  and  his  at- 
tendants were  wholly  unprepared,  being  unarmed 
and  utterly  defenseless. 

The  Spaniards  charged  through  them,  showing  no 
mercy,  their  swords  slashing  right  and  left,  and  their 
prancing  horses  trampling  the  natives  under  foot. 
The  gnus  and  firearms  of  the  Spaniards  made  such 
havoc  and  confusion  that  the  terrified  Indians  offered 
no  I'esistnnce.     Indeed,  they  could  not  offer  any. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  Inca  the  struggle  was  fierce. 
The  Indians,  faithful  to  the  last  to  their  beloved  mon- 


81 

arch,  threw  themselves  before  liim,  sliieldiiig  liini  with 
their  naked  bodies  from  the  swords  of  tlie  Spaniards. 
At  last,  as  night  drew  near,  the  Spaiiiai'ds,  fearing 
that  the  Inca  might  escape,  attempted  to  kill  him. 

But  Pizarro  desired  that  he  should  Ije  taken  alive, 
and  in  a  loud  voice  ordered  his  followers,  as  tliey 


The  Spaniards  Attacking  the  Inca's  Escort. 


valued  their  own  lives,  not  to  strike  the  Inea. 
Stretching  out  his  arm  to  save  tlie  monarch,  Pi/ai'ro 
received  a  wound  on  Ids  hand.  This  was  tlie  only 
wound  received  l)y  a  Spaniard  during  ilu'  attack, 

DIS.    AND    EXP.  — G 


82 

At  length  the  Inca  was  cast  from  his  throne,  and, 
falling  to  the  ground,  was  caught  by  Pizarro.  He  was 
then  imprisoned  and  placed  under  a  strong  guard. 
As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  capture  of  the  Inca  spread, 
all  resistance  ceased.  Many  of  the  Indians  fled  to 
the  mountains,  leaving  untold  wealtli  at  the  disposal 
of  their  conquerors,  while  others  remained,  hoping  to 
be  able  to  assist  their  fallen  ruler. 

As  soon  as  the  Inca  had  an  opportunity,  he  tried 
to  think  of  some  way  of  obtaining  his  freedom. 

The  room  in  which  he  was  confined  was  twenty- 
two  feet  in  length  by  seventeen  feet  in  width.  Rais- 
ing his  hand  as  high  as  he  could,  the  Inca  made  a 
mark  upon  the  wall,  and  told  Pizarro  that  gold 
enough  to  fill  the  room  to  that  mark  would  be  given 
as  a  ransom  for  his  release. 

Pizarro  agreed  to  this  bargain,  and  the  natives  be- 
gan to  send  gold  to  the  Inca  to  secure  his  release. 
Some  of  the  treasures  in  the  temples  were  Ijuried  and 
hidden  by  the  priests;  but  ornaments  of  all  kinds, 
vases,  and  plate  were  collected,  and  in  a  few  months 
gold  amounting  to  fifteen  millions  of  dollars  in  our 
money  was  divided  among  the  Spaniards. 

Millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  gold  and  silver  were 
shipped  to  Spain,  and  the  Spanish  nation  grew  very 
wealthy.  Pizarro  himself  returned  to  Spain  to  take 
Charles  V.  his  share  of  the  plunder.     During  Pizar- 


83 

ro's  absence  the  Spaniards  caused  tlie  Inca  to  be 
killed,  notwithstanding  the  largo  ransom  which  tliey 
liad  accepted. 

The  richer  the  Spanish  people  ^rew,  the  more 
careless  they  became  in  their  treatment  of  other  na- 
tions and  of  those  under  their  rule.  They  grew  more 
cruel  and  more  merciless  and  more  gree<ly  for  gold. 
They  flocked  in  great  numbers  to  South  America, 
a  reckless,  adventurous,  unprincipled  horde,  ready  to 
connnit  any  crime  in  order  to  secure  gold. 


FERDINAND   DE   SOTO. 


Among  the  men  who  had  been  with  Pizarro  in 
Pern  was  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  a  bold  and  dashing 
Spanish  cavalier. 

De  Soto  was  appointed  governor  of  Cuba  in  1537, 
and  at  the  same  time  received  permission  from  the 
Spanish  king  to  conquer  Florida.  This  permission 
to  conquer  Florida  was  received 
by  De  Soto  with  great  delight. 
He  felt  certain  that  in  the  inte- 
rior of  Florida  there  were  cities 
as  large  and  as  wealthy  as  those 
of  Peru.  To  conquer  these  cities, 
obtain  their  treasure,  and  win 
for  himself  riches  and  fame,  was 
the  dream  of  De  Soto. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  you,  De  Soto  was  also 
anxious  to  er)nvei't  the  natives  to  his  own  religion. 
He  intended  to  take  from  them  all  their  possessions, 
but  he  meant  to  save  their  souls,  if  possible. 

So,  leaving  his  young  and  beautiful  wife  Isabella 

84 


Ferdinand  de  Soto. 


85 

to  rule  over  Cuba  in  his  abseuco,  De  Soto,  in  May,  15o9, 
started  from  Havana  with  nine  vessels,  about  six  liun- 
dred  men,  and  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  horses. 

After  a  safe  voyage,  the  expedition  landed  on  the 
coast  of  Florida,  at  Tampa  Bay,  Before  starting  on 
the  march  to  the  interior  of  the  country,  De  Soto 
sent  all  the  vessels  back  to  Cuba.  In  this  way  he  cut 
off  all  hope  of  retreat,  in  case  the  men  should  become 
discouraged.  But  no  one  thouglit  of  wanting  to  re- 
turn now.     Everybody  was  in  high  s})irits. 

The  soldiers  wore  brilliant  uniforms,  tlicir  caps 
were  adorned  with  waving  plumes,  and  their  polisln^d 
armor  glistened  and  sparHed  in  the  sunshine. 

In  the  company  were  twelve  ])riests,  who  wci'e  ex- 
pected to  convert  the  prisoners  wliich  De  Soto  meant 
to  capture.  The  Spaniards  carried  with  them  chains 
to  secure  these  prisoners,  and  l)]oodhounds  to  track 
them  in  case  any  escaped. 

It  was  a  gay  comp;iny  Avhich  marched  off  into  the 
interior  of  Florida  with  prancing  liorses,  waving 
flags  and  banners,  and  beating  drums. 

At  first  De  Soto  marched  directly  nortli,  plunging 
into  a  wilderness  which  })roved  to  be  ahnost  impass- 
able. The  country  was  full  of  swamps,  tlirougli 
which  the  horses  could  scarcely  tra\"el.  The  ];irge 
trees  wim'c  bound  together  by  tangled  xiin's;  mid 
their  roots,  which  protruded  fi'om  the  cart  h,  were  like 


86 

traps,  catcliiiig  the  feet  of  the  travelers  and  throwmg 
them  to  the  ground. 

Besides  all  this,  the  heavy  baggage  which  the  men 
and  horses  carried  weighed  them  down  and  made 
the  journey  almost  impossible. 

De  Soto,  however,  kept  bravely  on,  encouraging 
his  men  as  best  he  could,  and  at  last  reached  the  Sa- 
vannah River.  Here  he  changed  his  course  to  west- 
ward, hoping  to  find  gold  in  that  direction. 

Week  after  week,  month  after  month,  the  Span- 
iards traveled  on  through  a  dense  wilderness,  endur- 
ing great  hardships  and  finding  nothing  but  tribes  of 
hostile  Indians. 

De  Soto  asked  one  of  these  Indian  chiefs  to  give 
him  slaves  enough  to  carry  his  baggage  through  the 
forest.  The  chief  refused;  whereupon  De  Soto  and 
his  men  attacked  the  tribe  and  took  many  prisoners. 
These  prisoners  De  Soto  caused  to  be  chained  to- 
gether and  placed  in  front  of  the  expedition,  Avhere 
they  were  made  to  act  as  guides  as  well  as  slaves. 

Tlien  De  Soto  asked  the  Indians  where  the  great 
cities  witli  gold  and  silver  treasures  were.  One  In- 
dian said  he  did  not  know  of  any.  At  this  re])ly  De 
Soto  caused  the  Indian  to  be  put  to  death  with  fi'ight- 
ful  torture.  This  made  the  Indians  untruthful,  and 
they  told  De  Soto  many  different  stories  of  places 
where  they  thought  gold  niiglit  be  foimd. 


87 

So  the  expedition  wandered  on,  searching  for  the 
gold  which  they  never  found  ;  and  the  men  grew  dis- 
couraged and  heartsick,  and  longed  for  home. 

The  Indian  tribes,  angry  at  the  cruel  treatment  of 
tlie  Spaniards,  attacked  them  frequently,  and  De  Soto 
and  liis  men  scarcely  ever  enjoyed  a  peaceful  rest  at 


De  Soto  Marching  through  the  Forest. 

night.  The  Spaniards  were  unused  to  Indian  war- 
fare, and  were  no  niatcli  foi'  tlie  quick,  ninil)le  sav- 
ages, who  glided  through  the  forests  silently  and 
swiftly.  These  Indians  never  came  to  o})en  battle, 
but  hid  themselves  behind  rocks  and  trees,  and  were 


(88) 


89 

scarcely  ever  seen.  Two  or  three  would  suddenlj 
appear,  send  a  shower  of  arrows  at  the  Spaniards, 
and  then  dart  away  again  into  the  woods.  The  In- 
dians scarcely  ever  missed  their  aim,  and  the  Span- 
iards never  knew  when  they  were  near. 

One  day  De  Soto  captnred  some  Indians  wlio  said 
that  they  knew  where  gold  was  to  be  fonnd  and  that 
they  wonld  show  the  way  to  tlie  place.  De  Soto 
only  half  trnsted  them,  but  he  allowed  them  to  lead 
the  way.  The  cunning  savages  led  the  Spaniards 
into  an  ambush,  where  other  Indians  attacked  them 
fiercely,  killing  their  horses  and  many  of  their  inen. 

As  punishment  for  this  act,  De  Soto  ordered  that 
these  Indians  should  be  torn  to  pieces  by  the  blood- 
hounds. 

Sometimes  the  Spaniards,  in  their  wanderings, 
passed  camps  where  the  Indians  were  gathered  round 
huge  bonfires,  singing,  dancing,  yelling,  and  shout- 
ing the  terrible  Indian  war  whoop.  Under  shcltor  of 
this  noise  the  Spaniards  would  steal  quietly  away  and 
avoid  the  Indians  for  a  time. 

At  length,  after  wandering  for  two  years,  De  Soto 
came,  in  1541,  to  the  shore  of  a  large  river.  This  river 
was  wide  and  nuiddy,  and  had  a  strong  eui'rent 
which  carried  much  driftwood  along  with  it.  De 
Soto  learned  from  the  Indians  thai  it  was  callt'd 
Mississip})i,  or  the  "Father  of  Waters." 


90 

He  had  reached  it  near  the  spot  where  the  city  of 
Memphis  now  stands,  and  here  his  company  halted 
and  camped. 

At  this  place  the  Spaniards  built  rafts,  striking 
the  fetters  from  their  captives  in  order  to  use  the 
iron  for  nails,  and  so  crossed  the  river.  They  hoped 
in  this  way  to  escape  from  their  savage  foes ;  but  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  they  found  Indians  who 
were  just  as  fierce. 

So  the  Spaniards  traveled  south,  hoping  by  follow- 
ing the  course  of  the  river  to  reach  the  sea.  This 
De  Soto  soon  found  to  be  impossible,  as  the  country 
was  a  wilderness  of  tangled  vines  and  roots,  and  his 
followers  could  not  cross  the  many  creeks  and  small 
rivers  which  flowed  into  the  Mississippi.  The  horses 
traveled  through  this  country  with  difficulty,  often 
being  up  to  their  girths  in  water.  Each  day  saw 
the  little  band  grow  less  in  nu]ii1)ers. 

At  length  they  returned  to  the  banks  of  the  river, 
being  guided  back  by  their  liorses.  Tlie  men  lost 
their  way  in  the  dreadful  forest,  but  the  instinct  of 
the  noble  animals  directed  them  aright. 

Food  was  growing  scarce,  and  De  Soto  liimself  was 
taken 'ill.  He  knew  that  unless  something  should  be 
done  soon  to  make  the  Indians  Iielp  them,  all  would 
perish.  So  he  sent  word  to  an  Indian  chief  saying 
that  he  was  tlie  cliild  of  the  snn,  and  that  all  men 


91 

obeyed  him.  He  then  declarod  that  he  wanted  the 
chief's  fi'iendsliip,  and  ordoi'ud  liini  to  l)ring  him  food. 

The  chief  sent  Ijack  word  that  if  De  Soto  would 
cause  the  river  to  dry  up  he  would  believe  him. 
This,  of  course,  De  Soto  could  not  do. 

He  was  disappointed  and  discouraged  at  not  being 
able  to  get  food.  The  illness  from  which  he  was 
suffering  grew  worse,  and  he  died  soon  afterwards. 

His  followers  were  anxious  to  hide  liis  death  from 
the  natives,  who  were  very  much  afraid  of  liim.  So 
they  placed  his  body  in  the  hollow  of  a  scooped  out 
tree,  and  sunk  it  at  midnight  in  the  water. 

Those  of  his  followers  who  were  left  decided  to  try 
to  reach  home  by  following  the  river  to  its  mouth. 
These  men  were  in  a  wretched  condition.  Their 
clothing  was  nearly  all  gone.  Few  of  them  had  shoes, 
and  nianj^  had  only  the  skins  of  animals  and  mats 
made  of  wild  vines  to  keej)  them  warm.  They  built 
seven  frail  barks  and  sailed  down  the  Mississippi, 
avoiding  Indians  all  the  way,  and  in  seventeen  days 
they  came  to  the  Gulf  of  ]\b\xi('0. 

In  fifty  days  more  they  sucet^eded  in  reaching  a 
Spanish  settlement  on  tlic  coast  of  Mexico,  where 
they  were  received  with  much  joy. 

Of  the  gay  eompany  of  six  huiidri^l  an<l  twenty 
who  had  s<^t  out  with  such  hiah  li(>['es,  ouW  thi'ee 
hundred  and  ele\  en  men  returned. 


THE   GREAT   RIVER   AMAZON,   AND 
EL  DORADO. 


As  yon  may  imagine,  there  was  great  excitement 

and  eni'iosity  in  Spain,  after  tlie  voyages  of  Colum- 

bns,  abont  the  new  hinds  beyond  the  Western  Ocean. 

Several  of  the  men  who  had  sailed  with  Colnnibns 

Avere  ready  to  undertake  new  voyages  of  discovery. 

Among  them  was  Yahez 
Pinzon. 

You  will  rejnember  that 
when  Columbus  made  his 
first  voyage  lie  set  out 
with  three  vessels.  One 
of  these  was  the  Xitla. 
It  was  connnanded  by 
YafK'Z    Pinzon. 

After    Oolumbus     had 
returned  from  his  second  voyage,  Yahez  Pinzon  suc- 
ceeded ill  fitting  out  a  ficet  to  go  to  the  New  "World. 
In   1-1-99  he  sailed  with  four  caravels  from  Palos, 

92 


The  Nina. 


93 

the  same  port  from  wliidi  Coliim])us  liad  sailod. 
Pinzoii  took  with  him  some  of  the  .sailoi's  wlio  liad 
been  with  Columbus,  and  also  his  throe  })riiicipal 
pilots.  These  pilots  were  men  who  understood  liow 
to  use  the  astrolabe  and  to  tell  the  course  of  tlie 
ship  at  sea. 

Pinzon's  fleet  sailed  toward  the  Canary  and  Cape 
Verde  Islands,  and  after  j^assing  them  its  course  was 
southwest  across  the  Atlantic.  At  h'ngth  the  fleet 
crossed  the  equator,  and  Pinzon  w^as  the  first  explorer 
to  cross  the  line  in  the  western  Atlantic. 

The  fleet  sailed  on  for  nearly  five  hundred  miles 
to  the  southward.  Here  Pinzon  met  a  terrific  storm, 
which  came  very  near  sending  his  whole  fleet  to  the 
bottom.  He  was  now  not  far  from  the  coast,  and 
after  the  storm  was  over  he  discovered  land.  The 
land  proved  to  be  the  most  eastern  jioint  of  South 
America.  This  was  in  the  month  of  January,  in  the 
year  1500. 

Pinzon  and  a  com]\any  of  his  men  went  ashore. 
Tlun^  did  not  r(^maiii  long,  however,  as  they  found 
the  Indians  very  hosfilo.  Tlio  Indians  attacked  the 
Spaniai-ds  and  killed  several  of  thoir  number.  Tliey 
were  so  furious  that,  after  eliasing  the  S]»aniards  to 
their  boats,  they  wailed  into  tln^  s(>a  and  fnnghl  to  get 
the  oars.  The  Indians  ea]»tnre(l  one  of  tlie  rowboats. 
but  the  Spaniards  at  last  got  off  to  tlieir  vessels. 


94 

Pinzon  then  set  sail  and  steered  northward  along 
the  coast. 

When  his  fleet  came  near  tlie  equator,  he  noticed 
that  the  water  was  very  fresh.  Accordingly  he  gave 
orders  to  fill  the  water  casks  of  Ijis  fleet.  The  fresh- 
ness of  the  water  of  the  sea  led  hini  to  sail  in  toward 
the  shore. 

At  length  he  discovered  whence  the  large  volume 
of  fresh  w^ater  came.  It  flowed  out  of  the  mouth  of 
a  great  river. 

It  was  the  mouth  of  the  river  xVmazon,  and  so  great 
is  the  volume  of  water  which  it  i)Ours  into  the  sea 
that  its  current  is  noticed  in  the  ocean  two  hundred 
miles  from  the  shore. 

This  fact  is  not  so  surprising  when  we  learn  that 
the  main  mouth  of  this  great  river  is  fifty  miles  wide, 
that  the  I'iver  is  four  thousand  miles  long,  including 
its  windings,  and  that,  besides  iiiany  smaller  branches, 
it  has  five  trilnitarics,  each  over  a  thousand  miles  long, 
and  one  over  two  thousand  miles  long,  flowing  into  it. 

Pinzon  anchored  in  the  inouth  of  the  rivei-,  and 
found  the  natives  peaceful.  In  this  respect  they 
were  unlike  those  he  had  met  fai'ther  south.  They 
came  out  to  his  ships  in  a  fnendly  way  in  theii- 
canoes.  But  when  Pinzon,  a  short  time  later,  left 
the  river,  he  cruelly  carried  off  t]iirt>'-six  of  the  In- 
dians who  had  been  friendly  to  him. 


95 

While  Piuzon's  fleet  was  in  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
it  came  a  second  time  near  being  wrecked. 

Pinzon  was,  of  course,  in  strange  waters.  He  did 
not  know  that  twice  each  month  the  tide  does  not 
rise  in  the  usual  way,  i)ut  rushes  up  the  mouth  of  the 
Amazon  with  great  force.  The  tide,  as  a  rule,  is 
about  six  hours  in  rising  and  six  hours  in  falling. 
In  the  mouth  of  the  Anuizon,  however,  at  new  moon 
and  at  full  moon  the  tide  swells  to  its  limit  in  two 
or  three  minutes.  It  comes  as  a  wall  of  water,  twelve 
or  fifteen  feet  high,  followed  by  another  wall  of  the 
same  height.  Often  there  is  a  third  wall  of  water, 
and  at  some  seasons  of  the  year  there  is  a  fourth  wall. 

This  peculiar  rising  of  the  tid(3  is  called  the  hore. 
The  noise  of  this  rushing  flood  can  be  heard  five  or 
six  miles  off.  It  comes  with  tremendous  force,  and 
sometimes  uproots  great  trees  along  the  banks. 
During  the  few  days  wlnui  the  tide  rushes  up  the 
river  in  this  way  vessels  do  not  remain  in  the  main 
channel,  but  anchor  in  coves  and  protected  places. 

Pinzon,  as  we  have  said,  did  not  know  about  the 
sudden  rising  of  tlie  tide.  ITis  fleet  was  anchored  in 
the  main  channel  whon  tlic  borc^  camo,  and  it  dashed 
his  vessels  about  like  toy  l)oats  and  almost  wrecked 
them. 

After  re])airinix  the  damage  dono  to  his  fleot,  he 
made  up  his  mind  that  there  was  litth'  gold  to  be  found 


96 

in  those  parts,  and  so  he  sailed  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
great  river,  and  then  turned  northward  along  the  coast. 


Scene  on  the  Orinoco  River. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  wluit  befell  Pinzon 
after  he  left  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon.  We  will  tell 
you  briefly. 

He  sailed  along  the  coast  to  the  northwest,  and 
passed  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  another  large  river 
of  South  America.  About  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
beyond  the  Orinoco,  he  entered  a  gulf  and  landed. 
Here  he  cut  a  large  quantity  of  brazil  wood  to  take 
back  to  Spain. 


97 

Then  lie  sailed  for  the  isluiid  of  Hispaiiiola,  now 
called  Haiti.  From  this  islaud  he  sailed  to  the 
Bahama  Islands. 

It  was  July  when  he  reached  the  Bahamas.  Mis- 
fortune again  came  to  his  Heet.  AVhile  anchored  in 
the  Bahamas  a  hurricane  came  up,  and  two  of  his 
vessels  were  sunk.  A  third  was  blown  out  to  sea. 
The  fourth  vessel  rode  out  the  storm,  hut  the  crew, 
thinking  all  the  while  she  would  sink,  took  to  their 
small  boats  and  at  length  reached  the  shore.  Tlie 
Indians  came  to  them  when  they  landed,  and  proved 
friendly. 

After  the  hurricane  was  over,  the  vessel  that  had 
been  carried  out  to  sea  drifted  back.  xVs  soon  as  the 
sea  was  smooth  enough  Pinzon  and  his  men  went  on 
board  the  two  remaining  vessels  and  set  sail  for  His- 
paiiiola. 

At  Hispaiiiola  he  repaired  his  vessels,  and  then 
sailed  back  to  Spain.  He  reached  Palos  in  Sep- 
temljcr. 

Al)Out  three  months  after  Pinzon  sailed  away  from 
tlit^  mouth  of  the  Amazon  it  was  visited  by  a  Portu- 
guese navigator  iiaiiKHl  Cabral.  Although  the  Portu- 
guese were  iK^t  so  fortunate  as  io  discover  America, 
yet  tlK'V  liad  Ix'cn  very  active  in  making  discoveries 
for  stn-fiity  years  and  more  before  C'olumbiis's  first 
voyage. 

DIS.     AND     KXP.  — 7 


98 

In  1420  they  discovered  the  Madeira  Islands.  In 
1432  they  discovered  the  Azore  Islands,  which  lie 
eight  hundred  miles  west  of  Portugal  in  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  Their  vessels,  from  time  to  time,  had  been 
pushing  farther  and  farther  down  the  west  coast  of 
Africa.  In  the  middle  of  tlie  century  as  many  as 
fifty-one  of  their  caravels  had  been  to  the  Guinea 
coast,  or  the  Gold  Coast,  as  it  was  more  often  called. 
In  1484,  eight  years  before  Columbus  discovered 
America,  they  had  discovered  the  mouth  of  the  Kongo 
River  on  the  African  coast. 

It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  their  navigators 
were  pushing  out  across  the  Atlantic  soon  after  Co- 
lumbus had  led  the  way. 

But  though  Cabral  sailed  along  the  whole  coast  of 
Brazil,  and  took  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  the 
King  of  Portugal,  he  did  not  learn  any  more  about 
the  great  river  at  the  mouth  of  which  he  anchored 
than  did  Pinzon.  Had  he  waited  a  few  months,  or 
had  he  returned  to  the  river,  he  might  easily  have 
ex2>lored  its  course.  For  from  July  to  December  of 
each  year  the  east  wind  blows  steadily  up  the  Ama- 
zon, and  Cabral  could  have  spread  his  sails  and  kept 
them  spread  as  he  sailed  up  the  river  for  two  thou- 
sand miles  or  more  to  the  eastern  foot  of  the  great 
mountains  of  South  America,  the  Andes. 

The  exploration  of  the  Amazon,  however,  fell  to 


99 

the  lot  of  aiiotlier  niaii,  Fi'aiicisco  Orellniui  liy  iiamo. 
Orelluua  did  not  sail  up  tlio  river  from  its  iiioutli,  l)iit 
came  down  it  from  one  of  its  sources.  Tliis  was  in 
1540,  many  years,  as  you  see,  after  Pinzon  and  Cabral 
had  anchored  at  the  mouth. 

Orellana  was  one  of  Pizarro's  men,  and  had  been 
with  liim  when  tlie  Inca  of  Peru  was  taken  and  after- 
wards put  to  death.  It  was  Francisco  I^izarro,  as  you 
well  know,  who  conquered  Peru.  After  Francisco 
Pizarro  had  conquered  the  country,  he  made  his 
brother,  Gonzalo  Pizarro,  governor  of  (^uito, 

Tliis  brother,  while  at  Quito,  made  up  his  mind  to 
cross  the  Andes  Mountains  and  explore  the  country 
beyond.  So  he  got  ready  an  expedition,  and  made 
Orellana  his  li(nTtenant;  Orellana  was,  therefore,  sec- 
ond in  command  of  the  (^x})edition. 

The  ai'my  was  made  up  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
Spaniards,  four  thousand  Indians,  and  one  thousand 
bloodhounds  for  liunting  down  the  natives. 

They  had  a  hard  march  over  the  Audits,  and 
suffered  very  much  in  crossing.  When  tliey  were 
over  tlie  mountains,  they  discovered  a  river  llowing 
towai'd  tlie  soutlieast.     Tins  was  the  river  Xa])(^. 

Pi/tirro  liad  liad  so  hai'd  a  marcli  across  tlu^  Andes 
tliat  he  felt  his  men  eould  not  stand  it  to  go  ba<dv 
l)y  t1i(^  same  way.  He  tlierefore  eneani]»ed  by  the 
Xa})()  liiver,  and  spent  seven  monllis   in   luiilding  a 


100 

vessel  to  hold  his  baggage  aud  those  of  his  men  who 
were  ih. 

He  put  Orellana  in  charge  of  the  vessel,  and  ordered 
him  to  float  slowly  down  the  river  Avhile  the  other 
part  of  the  army  marched  along  the  shore.  The 
march  was  very  slow  and  toilsome,  and  after  a  few 
weeks  the  food  began  to  get  low. 

At  this  time  Pizarro  heard  of  a  rich  country  farther 
down  the  streain,  where  the  Xapo  flowed  into  a  larger 
river.  This  countr\'  lie  wished  to  reach.  So  he  sent 
( )rellana  in  the  vessel,  with  fifty  soldiers,  down  the 
Xapo  to  the  larger  river.  There  Orellana  was  to  get 
food  and  su])plies  for  the  army  and  then  return. 

Pizarro  waited  and  waited  in  vain  for  Orellana  to 
return,  and  at  last  he  and  liis  men  had  to  find  their 
way  back  across  the  Andes  with  scanty  food  and 
undergo  great  hardships. 

Orellana  and  the  soldiers  with  liim  were  carried 
by  the  current  swiftly  down  the  Xa})0,  and  in  tliree 
days  they  came  into  the  great  river.  It  was  indeed 
a  great  river,  for  the  Amazon  at  the  phice  wliere 
the  Xapo  flows  into  it  is  a  mile  in  width. 

Orellana  expeeted  to  find  here  many  jieo^de  an<] 
plenty  of  food.  He  found,  however,  only  a  wilder- 
ness. It  was  about  lik<'  the  country  where  Pizarro 
and  his  army  were  encamped, 

Orellana  conld  Ijarelv  u'ct  food  for  liimsflf  and  the 


101 

men  witli  liim,  inncli  loss  enough  for  Pizarro  and  his 
army.  To  retnru  against  the  swift  current  would  Ije 
a  lieavy  task.  After  tliinking  the  matter  over,  he 
decided  to  follow  the  great  river  to  the  sea.  But  he 
must  lirst  win  the  soldiei's  who  wen;  with  him  ov<'r 
to  his  i)lan.  This  ho  soon  suceeedod  in  doing,  and 
they  started  down  the  Amazon. 

It  w^as  no  easy  joni-noy.  He  and  the  soldiers 
suffered  greatly.  But  in  August,  1541,  after  seven 
months  of  hardships,  they  readied  the  ocean,  and  a 
short  time  after  this  they  sailed  to  Spain. 

When  Orollana  reached  Spain,  h(^  gave  a  glowing 
account  of  a  wonderful  country,  rich  in  precious 
metals,  through  which  he  had  passed.  xVccording  to 
his  story,  it  was  far  riclier  in  gold  tlian  Peru. 

The  name  El  Dorado,  "The  Golden,"  was  given  to 
this  fal)led  country;  an<l  for  a  score  or  more  of 
years  aftei'  Orellana  had  told  his  story,  efforts  were 
made  to  find  it.  Expedition  after  expedition  set  out 
in  search  of  El  Dorado.  An  explorer  named  Phili]» 
von  Huttcn,  who  led  a  party  southward  into  the  c(nin- 
try  from  the  northern  part  of  South  America,  helieved 
he  caught  sight  of  a  city  whose  golden  walls  glistened 
far  away  in  th(^  distance.  But  he  never  rea<'htMl  the 
shining  city  which  he  thought  he  saw,  nor  was  the 
fahled  El  Dorado  ever  found. 


VERRAZZANO. 


Veriazzano. 


Yerrazzano  was  a  native  of 
Florence,   Italy,  and  a  pirate 
like  many  other  sailors  of  tliat 
time.     Being  known  as  a  dar- 
ing seaman,  he  was  asked  by 
Francis  I.,  King  of  France,  to 
lake   command   of   a   fleet  of 
four  vessels   and  try  to   find 
a    Avestern     passage    to    rich 
Cathay.     For  Francis  had  be- 
come very  jealons  of  tlie  Spaniards,  and  felt  that  liis 
conntry  onght  to  have  a  share  in  the  riches  of  the 
Xew  World. 

Yerrazzano  sailed  from  France  fnll  of  Ijope  and 
joy ;  l)ut  he  had  gone  only  a  sliort  distance  when  a 
severe  storm  arose,  and  two  of  his  vessels  were  lost 
sight  of  forever,  Tlie  two  remaining  vessels  were 
obliged  to  return  to  France. 

After  some  delay  Yci'razzano  startt^l  again,  with 
one  vessel  called  the  JJa/i/ilili/t'.     AVith  this  vessel  he 


103 

reached  the  island  of  Madeira,  and  from  this  island 
he  sailed,  January  17,  1524,  for  the  unknown  world. 

The  voyage  lasted  forty-nine  days,  nitov  which 
time  a  long,  low  coast  was  sighted  in  the  distance. 
This  coast,  which  was  probably  North  Carolina, 
afforded  no  landing  place,  and  for  some  time  Verraz- 
zano  sailed  north  and  then  south,  searching  for  one. 
The  search  proved  unsuccessful,  and  as  the  crew 
were  in  need  of  fresh  water,  Verrazzano  decided  to 
send  a  boat  asliore. 

So  a  small  l)oat  was  manned,  and  the  sailors  tried 
very  hard  to  reach  the  shore,  but  the  surf  was  so 
high  that  they  were  unable  to  do  this.  At  last  one 
brave  sailor  jumped  from  the  l)oat  into  tlie  foaming 
breakers  and  swam  toward  the  sliore.  He  carried  in 
one  hand  presents  for  the  Tiidinns,  who  were  stand- 
ing at  the  water's  edge  watching  the  strange  sight. 
At  length  the  sailor  succeeded  in  swimming  so  close 
to  the  slior(^  that  he  was  able  to  throw  the  presents 
to  the  Indians. 

His  courage  then  deserted  him,  and  in  terror  he 
tried  to  swim  back  to  his  vessel.  The  surf,  however, 
daslied  him  on  tlie  sandy  beach,  and  he  would  have 
been  drowned  had  not  some  of  the  Indians  waded  in 
and  dragge(l  him  ashore.  These  Indians  quickly 
stripped  liim  of  all  his  clothing  and  began  to  build 
an  immense  bonfire.     The  poor  sailor  thought  his  end 


104 


Indians  Rescuing  the  Sailor. 


bad  come,  and  liis  former  companions  looked  on  from 
their  shij^  in  horror  at  the  preparations. 

All  of  them  thought  that  the  Indians  meant  to  burn 
him  alive  or  else  to  cook  and  eat  liim.  To  tbeir  great 
relief,  the  Indians  treated  him  very  gently  and  kindly  ; 
tliey  dried  liis  clothes  by  the  fire  and  warmed  him. 

These  kind  Indians  looked  very  savage.  Their 
skin  was  copper  colored,  their  long,  straight  hair  was 
tied  and  worn  in  a  braid,  and  their  faces  were  very 
stern  ;  foi',  you  know,  an  Indian  never  laughs  or  smiles. 

In  spite  of  their  fierce  looks,  however,  they  were 
very  good  to  the  pale-faced  stranger,  and  when  he 


105 

was  strong  again  they  led  him  back  to  the  shore, 
and  he  swam  out  to  his  ship. 

Verrazzano  was  glad  to  see  his  sailor  return  in 
safety  from  this  dangerous  trip.  The  man  had  risked 
liis  life,  but  no  water  had  been  obtained  for  the  crew. 
So  Verrazzano  started  northward,  and  along  the  coast 
of  Maryland  he  made  a  landing  and  secured  the 
much-needed  fresh  water. 

At  this  place  the  Frenchmen  had  an  opportunity 
to  return  the  kindness  that  the  Indians  liad  shown 
theii'  companion,  but  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  tell  you 
that  they  did  not  do  so.  Wiiile  searching  for  the 
water,  ViM'razzano  and  his  followers  came  suddenly 
upon  a  little  Indian  boy,  whom  they  seized  and  car- 
ried off  to  their  ship.  Tlie  mother  of  the  boy  came 
(juickly  from  some  buslics  to  rescue  her  son,  and  they 
would  also  have  stolen  her,  but  she  made  so  much 
noise  that  they  were  obliged  to  run  in  order  to  escape 
from  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  who  came  to  help  her.  The 
Frenchmen  reached  their  ship  in  safety  with  the  poor 
little  Indian  l)oy,  and  quickly  set  sail. 

Verrazzano  proceeded  northward,  following  the 
slior(\  and  at  length  came  to  a  very  narrow  neck  of 
wattM",  with  rising  land  on  both  sides.  Through  this 
strait  Verrazzano  sailed,  and,  to  his  surprise,  came 
out  into  a  broad  and  beautiful  bay  which  was  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  bv  forests,  and  was  dotted  here 


106 

and  there  with  the  eaiioes  of  Indians  who  were  com- 
ing out  from  the  land  to  meet  him. 

You  have,  of  course,  guessed  that  this  strait  was 
the  Narrows,  which  separates  Staten  Island  from 
Long  Island,  and  that  the  bay  was  the  beautiful  New 
York  Bay. 

Verrazzano  followed  the  shore  of  Long  Islai+d  to  a 
small  island,  which  was  likely  Block  Island.  From 
this  island  h(^  sailed  into  a  harbor  on  the  mainland, 
probably  Newport,  where  he  remained  fifteen  days. 
Here  the  Indians  received  their  pale-faced  visitors 
with  great  dignity  and  pomp.  Two  of  the  Indian 
chiefs,  arrayed  in  painted  deer  skins  and  raccoon  and 
lynx  skins,  and  decorated  with  copper  ornaments, 
paid  Verrazzano  a  visit  of  state. 

Soon  after  this  Verrazzano  sailed  away,  again 
northward.  Tlie  climate  grew  cooler  and  the  country 
more  rugged,  and  the  vegetation  changed.  Instead 
of  the  sweet-scented  cypress  and  bay  trees  which  the 
sailors  had  admired  aloiig  the  Carolina  coast,  there 
wore  dark  forests  of  stately  pines,  which  were  grand 
but  gloomy. 

Groat  cliffs  of  rock  extended  along  the  shores,  and 
from  these  heights  the  natives  looked  down  upon 
the  lonely  little  sliip  in  fear,  anger,  and  amazement. 
At  length  they  consented  to  trade  with  the  ])ale- 
faces;  but  th(3y  lowered  a  cord  from  the  rocks  and 


107 

drew  lip  tlie  kniv^es,  fishhooks,  and  pieces  of  stool 
which  they  (leniandod  ill  exeliJing(>  for  fiii-s  and  skins. 
Once  Verrazzauo  and  a  foAv  of  iiis  men  tried  to  land. 
But  the  Indians  fiercely  attacked  them,  and  a  shower 
of  arrows  and  the  sound  of  the  dreaded  war  whoo]) 
caused  the  Europeans  to  fly  to  their  ship  for  safety. 

So  Verrazzano  gave  up  the  plan  of  landing  jiniong 
these  fierce  Indians,  and  continued  his  voyage  north- 
ward as  far  as  Newfoundland.  Here  provisions  grew 
scarce,  and  Verrazzano  decided  to  sail  for  home. 

The  return  voyage  was  a  safe  one,  and  Verrazzano 
was  greeted  with  joy  when  he  arrived  in  France. 
Upon  his  discoveries  the  French  based  their  claim  to 
all  the  country  in  the  New  World  between  Carolina 
and  Newfoundland,  extending  westward  as  far  as 
land  continued. 

Verrazzano  wished  very  much  to  go  again  to  this 
new  land  and  try  to  plant  a  colony  and  to  convert 
the  Indians  to  the  Christian  religion.  But  France  at 
this  time  was  plunged  into  war  at  home,  and  all  trace 
of  Verrazzano  is  lost.  Some  say  that  he  niade  a  sec- 
ond voyage,  and  that  while  ex]^loring  a  wild  country 
he  was  taken  prisoner  and  killed  by  a  savage  tribe  of 
Indians.  The  story  that  is  most  likely  true  is  that  he 
did  return  to  the  New  World,  and  that  while  there 
he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Spaniards  and  hanged 
as  a  pii'ate. 


THE    FAMOUS    VOYAdE    OF    SIR    FRANCIS 
DRAKE-1577. 


SJr  Francis  Drake. 


Undek  the  rule  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth England  became  noted  for 
her  bold  and  daring  seamen. 
These  seamen  were  really  pirates, 
or  sea  robbers ;  but  their  occupa- 
tion in  those  days  was  looked 
upon  as  a  lawful  one  by  all  ex- 
cept the  people  whom  they  plun- 
dered. 

Queen  Elizabeth  encouraged 
the  seafaring  men  to  make  voyages  to  tlie  New  World, 
and  also  to  attack  the  Spanish  ships,  because  she  was 
displeased  at  the  way  the  Spaniards  were  belia,ving. 
The  Spaniards  had  grown  very  rich  and  })0\vorful 
by  means  of  the  wealth  they  had  obtained  in  Amer- 
ica, and  in  their  pride  they  did  not  tr(vit  the  other 
nations  properly.  They  had  no  idea  of  fairness. 
They  were  selfish  and  wanted  evei-ything  for  Spain. 
The  English  people  thought  that  the  best  place  to 

108 


109 

attack  the  Spaniards  was  in  the  New  World.  They 
well  knew  that  if  they  could  cut  off  the  supply  of 
gold  and  silver  which  the  Spanish  nation  was  receiv- 
ing from  South  America  and  the  Indies,  that  nation 
would  suffer. 

Sir  Francis  Drake,  a  brave  young  knight  of  Eliza- 
beth's court,  formed  a  plan  to  teach  the  Spaniards  a 
lesson.  This  plan  was  approved  by  the  queen,  and 
Drake  was  promised  glory  and  riches  if  he  should 
succeed  in  carrying  it  out. 

In  November,  1577,  Drake  sailed  from  Plymouth, 
England,  with  a  fleet  of  five  vessels  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty-four  men.  He  told  ev^ery  one  that  he  was 
going  to  make  a  voyage  to  Alexandria,  as  he  did  not 
wish  the  Spaniards  to  know  that  he  intended  to  cross 
the  Atlantic. 

After  a  voyage  of  about  five  months,  as  they  were 
sailing  quietly  along  one  evening,  the  crew  saw 
strange  fires  in  the  distance.  At  first  the  sailors 
were  ;!larmed ;  but  on  sailing  nearer  they  saw  that 
tli(^  fii'cs  were  on  the  shoi'c  of  a  strange  country, 
which  l)i'ak(^  knew  to  be  South  Amei'ica. 

The  iiativi^s  liad  built  tlu^se  immense  bonfires  near 
the  water  and  wcn^  })re]  taring  for  some  I'eligious  rites. 

These  natives  wei'e  fi'iendly,  and  Di'ake,  after  pro- 
curing some  \'vo<]\  su]>plies,  sailed  on,  as  he  was  in 
haste    to   reach    Peru.     The   fleet   soon    entered   the 


110 

Strait  of  Magellan,  and  sailed  through  without  any 
mishap. 

On  an  island  in  the  strait  they  found  a  great  num- 
ber of  fowl  of  the  size  of  geese,  which  could  not  fly. 
The  crew  shot  about  three  thousand  of  these  birds, 
and  now,  having  plenty  of  provisions,  they  began  the 
journey  up  the  west  coast  of  South  America. 

The  Spaniards,  never  dreaming  that  any  one  would 
have  the  courage  to  try  to  reach  their  lands  by  way 
of  the  Strait  of  Magellan,  had  made  no  attempt  to 
defend  themselves  from  attack  from  the  south. 
They  feared  that  their  enemies  might  come  down 
upon  them  l)y  way  of  the  istlimus,  and  strong  forces 
had  been  placed  there  to  i)revent  anyone  from  cross- 
ing ;  but  all  the  southern  ports  were  defenseless. 

So  Drake  and  his  men  sailed  up  the  coast,  dropping 
in  at  (liffe]'ent  har]>ors,  boldly  taking  everything  of 
value  that  they  saw,  and  then  gayly  sailing  away, 
laughing  at  the  sui'priso  they  left  behind  them. 

At  on(^  place  Drake  found  a  Si)anish  ship  laden 
with  s]>oils,  ready  to  sail  to  Spain.  The  English 
(jiiickly  took  ])Ossessiou  of  her,  set  her  crew  asliore, 
and  can-i('d  her  out  to  sea.  There  they  found  tliat 
she  had  on  boai'd  ])ni'e  gold  amounting  to  thirty- 
seven  thousand  Spanish  ducats,  stores  of  good  wine, 
and  other  treasure. 

At  one   place  where  th(;y  landed   Drake  himself 


Ill 


found  a  Spaniard  lying  asleep  near  the  sliore,  with 
thirteen  bars  of  silver  by  his  side.  The  Englishmen 
took  the  silver  and  went  quietly  away,  leaving  the 
man  to  finish  his  nap. 

Farther  on  they  met  a  Spaniard  and  an  Indian  boy 
driving  eight  llamas,  as  the  sheep  of 
that  country  are  called,  toward  Peru. 
Each  llama  had  on  its  back  two 
bags   of   leather,   and   in  ^    ^ 
each    bag   was 
fifty  pounds  of 
silver.         This 
silver       Drake 
ordered    to    be 
placed    on    his 
ship,  and  then 
he  sailed  away. 

Many  other  places 
were  visited  in  tliis 
manner,  and  much  treasure  was  collected;  l)ut  it 
was  not  until  Drake  reached  Lima  that  the  English 
understood  the  great  wealth  of  tliat  country.  Al)Out 
twelve  sliips  were  in  the  harbor,  some  fully  hiden,  and 
all  un}>roteete(l,  as  the  Spaniards  never  dreamed  of 
attack.  These  ships  Drake  proceeded  to  ligliten 
of  tlieir  cargo  by  removing  it  to  liis  own  sliips. 
'    He  then  gave  chase  to  anotlier  vessel,  winch  he 


Drake  and  the  Sleeping 

Spaniard. 


112 

heard  was  laden  with  still  greater  treasure.  This 
vessel  he  soon  found,  and  the  cargo  proved  to  be 
very  valuable.  Thirteen  chests  of  plate,  many  tons 
of  gold  and  silver,  jewels,  precious  stones,  and  quan- 
tities of  silk  and  linen  were  taken. 

As  you  may  suppose,  after  continuing  this  work 
for  some  time  Drake's  ships  were  very  well  loaded, 
and  he  and  his  companions  began  to  think  about 
returning  to  England.  Drake  felt  that  it  would  not 
be  safe  for  him  to  return  through  the  Strait  of 
Magellan,  as  he  knew  the  Spaniards  would  be  expect- 
ing him.  So  he  decided  to  sail  across  the  Pacific 
Ocean  to  the  Molucca  Islands,  and  coniijlete  his  jour- 
ney by  circumnavigating  the  globe. 

He  was  at  this  time  becalmed  in  the  tropics,  and 
therefore  headed  his  ships  north,  hoping  to  find  the 
trade  wind,  which  would  carry  him  across  the  Pacific. 
After  proceeding  north  along  a  strnnge  coast  for 
nearly  a  nionth,  during  which  time  the  weather  grad- 
ually became  colder  and  colder,  Drake  decided  to 
enter  a  harbor  and  anclior  his  vessels. 

The  people  of  the  country  were  friendly,  and  as  the 
English  treated  them  well,  they  renin ined  so.  They 
admired  the  brave  Sir  Francis  Drake  so  much  that 
they  begged  him  to  stay  with  them  and  be  their 
king. 

But  Drake  had  no  desire  to  be  kin^i'  over  an  Indian 


113 

tribe.  He  wanted  to  get  back  to  his  own  good  Queen 
Elizabeth  and  tell  her  of  all  the  wonderful  things  that 
had  happened  to  him.  So  he  took  possession  of  this 
country  for  England,  and  called  it  New  Albion. 

New  Albion  was  the  land  which  is  at  present  known 
as  California,  and  the  bay  in  which  Drake  anchored 
is  just  north  of  San  Francisco  Bay. 

Then  Drake  prepared  his  ships  for  the  voyage 
home,  hoisted  anchor,  and  was  soon  sailing  away  in 
the  direction  of  the  Moluccas.  These  islands  he 
reached  after  a  long  voyage,  and  after  visiting  several 
of  the  Indies  he  proceeded  across  the  Indian  Ocean 
to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  thence  northward 
to  England.  He  reachcMl  home  in  September,  1580, 
after  an  absence  of  three  years. 

How  glad  Queen  Elizabeth  was  to  see  him !  She 
granted  him  the  honor  of  knighthood,  and  in  other 
ways  showed  her  pride  in  her  brave  subject. 

Drake's  ship,  the  Golden  H'mcl,  was  jJaced  in  a 
dock  at  Deptford,  where  it  stood  for  inany  years. 
Peoi)le  used  to  take  their  eliildren  to  se(^  it,  and  they 
would  tell  them  about  the  Golden  Jlii/d,  the  good 
ship  in  which  sailed  the  brave  general,  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  when  he  taught  the  Spaniards  a  lesson. 

When  the  timber  of  the  ship  1)egan  to  decay,  a 
chair  was  made  of  some  of  it  and  given  to  Oxford 
University,  where  it  may  be  seen  to  this  day. 

DIS.    AXU    EXP. —8 


HENRY  HUDSON. 

Henry  Hudson  was  one  of 
the  best  sea  captains  in  all 
England.  He  loved  the 
ocean,  and  he  did  not  know 
the  word  "  fear." 

In  1G07  a  company  of 
London  merchants  sent  him 
to  look  for  a  northwest 
passage    to    Chhia.      These 

Henry  Hudson.  t  ,  n      i       -n 

merchants  knew  that  ii 
such  a  x^'^^i^^^gG  could  l)o  found,  the  journey  to 
China  would  be  much  shorter  than  by  the  over- 
land route  then  used.  It  would  take  less  time  to 
sail  around  the  earth  near  the  pole  than  to  sail 
around  the  earth  near  the  equator.  Besides,  every 
one  wlio  had  attempted  to  reach  China  by  sailing 
west  had  reache<l,  instead,  that  long  coast  of  the 
New  World,  throngh  which  but  o]ie  0})ening  had  ever 
been  found.  The  route  through  this  opening,  the 
Strait  of  Magellan,  had  been  proved  by  its  discoverer, 
Ferdinand  Magellan,  to  be  Vo  long  for  use  in  com- 

114 


115 

merce,  so  traders  were  trying  hard  to  find  a  north- 
west passage. 

Caj^tain  Hudson  proceeded  northwest  from  Eng- 
land, and  tried  to  pass  between  Greenland  and 
8pitzbergen  and  sail  across  the  north  j^ole  into  the 
Pacific.  Failing  in  this  attempt,  he  made  a  second 
voyage,  during  which  he  tried  to  pass  between  Spitz- 
bergen  and  Nova  Zenibhu  This  voyage  also  was  un- 
successful, and  Hudson  returned  to  England.  He 
had  found  no  northwest  passage,  but  he  had  sailed 
past  mountains  of  snow  and  ice  and  had  been  nearer 
the  north  j)ole  than  any  man  had  ever  been  before. 

Captain  Hudson  was  not  discouraged  by  his  two 
failures.  He  still  believed  a  northwest  passage  could 
be  found ;  and  when  the  Dutch  people  asked  him  to 
make  a  voyage  for  them  in  search  of  a  passage  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  he  was  quite  willing  to  accept  the  offer. 

In  1609  Hudson  sailed  from  Amsterdam  in  a  small 
craft  of  eighty  tons,  called  tlie  TlaJf  Moon.  After 
sailing  many  days  througli  fog  and  ice,  the  sailors 
refused  to  go  farther  in  that  direction,  and  then  Hud- 
son headed  his  ship  across  the  Atlantic  toward 
America.  You  may  think  it  strange  that  Hudson 
should  cliaiige  his  plans  so  quickly,  but  he  knew 
what  he  was  about.  He  had  received  a  letter  from 
his  friend  ('ajitain  John  Smith,  who  was  then  in  Vir- 
ginia, telling  him  tliat  a  northwest  passage  was  to  be 


116 


found  along  the  coast  of  North  America,  north  of 
Chesapeake  Bay.  This  letter  Hudson  had  in  mind 
when  he  started  on  his  voj^age. 

He  reached  Chesapeake  Bay,  hut  did  not  enter  it, 

as  the  weather  was 
stormy.  Instead,  he 
proceeded  up  the 
coast,  looking  for 
an  opening.  At 
length,  in  Septem- 
iz  ber,  he  entered  a 
beautiful  bay.  Into 
this  bay  a  wide  river 

The  Half  Moon  on  the      Aowed  whlch  Hud- 
Hudson  River.  ,-,  -,   ,         '    ^  i 

son  thought  might 
be  a  strait  that  would  lead  into  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  The  water  in  this  open- 
ing was  salt,  and  this  strengthened 
'  Hudson  in  tlie  belief  that  it  was  the 
strait  for  Avhich  he  had  been  searching  so  long. 
At  the  nioutli  of  the  river  tliei-e  was  a  beantifnl 
island,  long  and  nai'row,  and  wooded  to  th(^  shoi'e. 
At  first  the  island  seemed  desei-ted,  but  soon  the 
sailors  saw  here  and  ther(»  slendei'  curling  columns  of 
smoke  risinu'  from  among  the  trees.  This  smoke 
showed  them  that  the  island  was  inhal)ited,  and 
presently  an  Indian   ap])eared  on  the  shore. 


117 

This  Indian  looked  for  a  moment  in  astonishment 
at  the  ship,  and  then,  shouting  the  war  whoop, 
bounded  back  into  the  forest.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
reappeared,  bringing  other  Indians  with  him.  All 
were  amazed  at  the  sight  of  tlie  strauge  ship,  and 
tliey  gazed  in  wonder  and  fear  at  it  and  at  the  white- 
faced,  bearded  strangers.  Little  by  little,  however, 
they  lost  their  fear  and  talked  with  Captain  Hudson. 
These  Indians  told  Hudson  that  tlie  name  of  the 
beautiful  island  was  Manhattan,  and  that  the  stream 
led  far,  far  to  the  north. 

So  Hudson  entered  the  river  and  sailed  slowly 
north,  enjoying  the  charming  scenery,  and  stopping 
now  and  then  to  trade  and  to  talk  with  the  Indians. 

For  twenty  miles  he  saihMl  along  a  great  wall  of 
rock  about  five  hundred  feet  high,  which  we  now 
know  as  the  Palisades.  This  name  was  given  to  the 
rocky  wall  because  it  looks  like  a  palisade,  or  high 
fence  of  stakes  set  close  together  and  upright  in  the 
ground. 

Soon  after  this  the  river  l)ecame  very  winding,  and 
high  mountains  arose  on  all  sides.  The  TLtlf  Moon 
now  entered  the  beautiful  Highlands,  and  her  crew 
were  the  first  white  men  to  see  this  enchanting  spot. 
The  vessel  sailed  on,  and  at  length  it  came  to  the  plare 
where  the  city  of  Hudson  now  stands.  Flcrt'  an  In- 
dian chief  invited  the  cai)taiii  to  go  ashoi-f.     Hudson 


118 

did  so,  and  the  Indians  prepared  a  great  feast  in  his 
honor. 

They  gave  him  roast  pigeons  and  a  roast  dog  to  eat. 
Hudson  did  not  like  the  dog  meat  very  much,  hut 
the  Indians  insisted  upon  cooking  it  for  him. 


Hudson  Feasting  with  the  Indians. 

The  Indians  wanted  him  to  stay  overniyht  with 
them,  and  one  Indian  arose,  and  gathering  together 
all  the  arrows,  Ijroke  them  and  threw  them  into 
the  fire.  By  this  act  he  meant  to  show  Hudson  that 
he  and  his  tribe  would  do  him  no  harm. 


119 

Hudson  felt  that  he  liad  no  time  to  lose,  but  must 
go  on  and  find  out  whether  this  wonderful  body  of 
water  would  lead  him  into  the  Pacific.  So  he  bade 
the  Indians  good-ljy  and  sailed  away. 

He  went  on  up  the  river  until  the  place  was  reached 
where  Albany  now  stands.  Here  the  little  Half 
Moon  was  ancliored.  Indians  came  running  down  to 
the  shore  in  wonder  at  the  sight  of  the  strange  vessel. 
They  brought  with  them  strings  of  beaver  skins, 
which  they  gave  Hudson  in  exchange  for  pieces  of 
gold  lace,  glass  beads,  and  other  trinkets.  Hudson 
was  quick  to  see  the  importance  of  this  fur  trade, 
and  took  back  with  him  many  valuable  furs.  Here 
the  stream  had  become  narrow,  and  was  so  shallow 
that  the  captain  feared  his  vessel  might  run  aground. 
He  knew  at  last  that  the  water  was  a  river  and  not  a 
strait,  and  that  he  was  not  likely  to  find  here  a  pas- 
sage to  China.  So  Hudson,  turning  back,  started 
down  the  river. 

On  the  way  down,  an  Indian  who  was  in  a  canoe 
stole  something  from  the  ship.  One  of  the  crew  saw 
the  Indian  commit  tlie  tlieft,  and,  i)icking  up  a  gun, 
shot  and  killed  him.  This  made  the  other  Indians 
very  angry,  and  Hudson  had  several  fights  with  them. 

Nevertheless  the  ('X})edition  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  river  in  safety,  and  early  in  October  Hudson  I'e- 
turned  to  Aiiisterdani.     He  liad  not  found  a  north- 


1-20 

west  i^assage,  but  he  had  secured  a  large  tract  of 
country  in  tlie  New  World  for  Holland. 

He  told  the  Dutch  about  the  rich  furs  to  be  found 
there,  and  they  immediately  began  to  build  trading 
posts  where  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany  now 
stand. 

The  next  year  Hudson  made  another  voyage  in 
search  of  a  passage  to  Asia.  This  time  he  sailed  far 
north  into  Hudson  Bay.  Here  his  crew  mutinied  and 
refused  to  obey  him.  They  seized  him  and  put  him, 
together  with  his  son,  into  an  open  boat,  and  set  them 
adrift  in  the  icy  water. 

As  Hudson  was  never  heard  of  again,  it  is  supposed 
that  he  perished  in  the  waters  of  the  great  bay  which 
he  discovered,  and  which  still  bears  his  name. 


Historical  Readings  for  the  Young 


EGGLESTON'S    STORIES    OF    GREAT    AMERICANS    FOR     LITTLE 

AMERICANS 

Cloth,  i2mo.      159  pages.     Illustrated    .         .         .         .40  cents 

This  book  of  stories  is  designed  for  young  pupils  of  the  Second 
Reader  Grade.  Its  primary  aim  is  to  provide  reading  lessons  that  will 
e.xcite  attention  and  give  pleasure  and  thus  make  the  difficult  task  of 
learning  to  read  easier.  Another  purpose  is  to  interest  children  at  an 
early  age  in  the  history  of  our  country  by  making  them  familiar  with  its 
great  characters  and  leading  events.  This  is  most  effectively  done  in 
this  little  book  by  entertaining  and  instructive  stories  which  every 
American  child  ought  to  know,  and  by  vivid  descriptions  of  scenes  and 
incidents  which  pertain  very  largely  to  the  childhood  of  the  great  actors 
represented. 

The  numerous  illustrations  that  accompany  the  text  have  all  been 
planned  with  special  reference  to  awakening  the  child's  attention,  and 
they  add  greatly  to  the  lessons  and  purpose  of  the  book. 

EGGLESTON'S    STORIES    OF    AMERICAN     LIFE    AND    ADVENTURE 
Cloth,  i2mo.      214  pages.      Illustrated      .  .  .  .50  cents 

This  book,  which  is  intended  for  the  Third  Reader  Grade,  includes 
reading  matter  that  is  intensely  interesting  to  the  young — stories  of 
Indian  life,  of  frontier  peril  and  escape,  of  pioneer  adventure  and  Rev- 
olutionary daring,  of  dangerous  voyages,  explorations,  etc.  \\'ith  these 
are  interspersed  sketches  of  the  homes  and  firesides,  the  dress  and 
manners,  the  schools  and  amusements  of  the  early  colonial  and  pioneer 
periods.  The  stories  of  this  book  represent  in  a  general  way  every 
section  of  our  country  and  every  period  of  its  history. 


Ci'pic-s  of  the  ahoi'c  hooks  loill  bo  setit ,  propaid,  to  any  addross  on  nceipt 
of  the-  priio  by  tho  Publishers  : 

American    Book    Company 

New  York  ♦  Cincinnati  ♦  Chicago 

(17) 


Readings  in   Classical   History 

By  M.  CLARKE 


CLARKE'S  STORY  OF  TROY 60  cents 

This  book  tells,  in  a  most  interesting  way,  the  Story  of  Troy,  and  of 
its  brave  defenders  and  heroes,  whose  wonderful  exploits  have  been 
celebrated  in  song  and  story  by  the  greatest  poets  and  historians  of 
ancient  times.  The  purpose  of  the  book  is  to  treat  these  classic  subjects 
in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  them  within  the  reach  and  comprehension  of 
young  readers,  at  a  time  when  their  study  will  inspire  the  mind  with 
lofty  ideals  and  a  taste  for  the  best  kind  of  reading. 

CLARKE'S  STORY  OF  ULYSSES 60  cents 

The  Story  of  Ulysses  is  taken  from  Homer's  Odyssey,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  pieces  of  literature  in  existence,  and  is  especially 
entertaining  for  the  young.  The  book  tells  how  Ulysses,  in  returning 
from  the  War,  is  overtaken  by  misfortune  and  reaches  home  at  last  after 
twenty  years  of  wandering  and  great  hardship.  There  are  also  included 
in  the  book  a  brief  sketch  of  the  siege  of  Troy  and  of  the  causes  which 
led  to  it,  together  with  a  number  of  choice  poetical  extracts. 

CLARKE'S  STORY  OF  AENEAS 45  cents 

This  story  describes  the  wanderings  and  adventures  of  Aeneas  and 
^is  companions  after  the  destruction  of  Troy,  including  a  great  variety 
of  events  and  incidents  which,  as  related  by  the  famous  Roman  poet, 
have  been  read  with  delight  for  nearly  2,ooo  years.  The  book  also  con- 
tains numerous  poetical  extracts,  chiefly  from  Dryden's  and  Conington's 
translations  of  the  Aeneid,  and  a  map  showing  the  wanderings  of  Aeneas. 

CLARKE'S  STORY  OF   CAESAR 45  cents 

This  book  relates,  in  a  style  at  once  attractive  and  intelligible  to 
young  readers,  the  important  events  in  the  career  of  the  famous  Roman 
general,  orator,  statesman,  and  historian.  It  describes  his  early  life  and 
recounts  those  achievements  in  war  and  peace,  by  which  this  wonderful 
man  built  up  the  mightiest  empire  of  ancient  limes.  It  also  gives  a 
brief  sketch  of  Rome  before  Caesar's  time,  its  system  of  government, 
and  some  of  the  great  personages  who  figured  in  its  earlier  history. 


Copies  st'iit,  prepaid,  to  a)iy  add7-t^s  on  i-eeeipt  of  tJie  pidee. 

American    Book    Company 

New  York  ♦  Cincinnati  ♦  Chicago 

(23) 


Baldwin's  School   Readers 

By  James  Baldwin 

Editor  of  "  Harper's  Readers,"  Author  of  "Old  Greek  Stories,"  "Old 
Stories  of  the   East,"  etc. 


In  method  and  in  subject  matter,  as  well  as  in  artistic 
and  mechanical  execution,  these  new  readers  establish  an 
ideal  standard,  equally  well  adapted  for  city  and  country 
schools.  They  possess  many  original  and  meritorious 
features  which  are  in  accord  with  the  most  approved 
methods  of  instruction,  and  which  will  commend  them  to 
the  best  teachers  and  the  best  schools.  The  illustrations 
are  an  important,  feature  of  the  books,  and  are  the  work 
of  the  best  artists.  They  are  not  merely  pictures  inserted 
for  the  purpose  of  ornament,  but  are  intended  to  assist 
in  making  the  reading  exercises  both  interesting  and 
instructive. 

BALDWIN'S  SCHOOL   READERS— EIGHT  BOOK    EDITION 

First  Year,     12S  pp.   25  cents         Fifth  Year,       208  pp.  40  cents 

Second  Year,  160  pp.   35  cents         Si.xth  Year,        240  pp.  45  cents 

'I'hird  Year,     20S  pp.   40  cents         Seventh  Year,  240  pp.  45  cents 

Fourth  Year.  20S  pp.   40  cents  Eighth  Year,    240  pp.  45  cents 

For  the  convenience  of  ungraded  schools,  and  for  all 
who  may  prefer  them  in  such  combined  form,  an  edition 
corresponding  to  the  ordinary  five  book  series  of  school 
readers  will  be  furnislied  as  follows: 

BALDWIN'S  SCHOOL   READERS— FIVE  BOOK    EDITION 
First  Year.  128  pages 

Second  Year,  160  pages 

Third  Year,  20S  pages 

Combined  Fourth  and  Fiftli  Years.      416  pages 
Cotnbinetl  Si.xth  and  Seventli  \"ears.    4S0  pages 


25  cents 
35  cents 
40  cents 
60  cents 
65  cents 


Copies    of 


of   thi-    abovL-    hooks    loill   he    sent,    prepaid, 
on   receipt  of  the  price. 


New  York 


American     Book    Company 

♦  Cincinnati  • 


Chicago 


Penmanship 

VERTICAL    COPY    BOOKS 

Barnes's   National  Vertical   Penmanship 

Numbers  i  to  8      .         .         .         ,         .         .     Per  dozen,  75  cents 
Practice  Books.     Numbers  i  to  4  .         .     Per  dozen,  50  cents 

A  new  series  designed  to  secure  the  highest  degree  of  legibility,  the 
greatest  facility  of  execution,  and  the  utmost  beauty  consistent  with 
legibility  and  speed. 

Spencerian    Penmanship — Vertical   Edition 

Shorter  Course.     Numbers  i  to  7  .         .         .  Per  dozen,  72  cents 

Common  School  Course.     Numbers  i  to  5     .  Per  dozen,  96  cents 

Business  Course.     Numbers  7  to  9         .         .  Per  dozen,  96  cents 

The  graceful  lines  and  symmetrical  forms  which  have  distinguished 
Spencerian  writing  and  made  it  the  accepted  American  Standard  of  Pen- 
manship, have  been  applied  in  these  vertical  copy  books. 

Curtiss's  Senni-Vertical   Copy   Books 

Numbers  i  to  6      .         .         .         .         .         .     Per  dozen,  96  cents 

The  Semi-Vertical  Edition  is  designed  to  meet  the  demands  of  many 
teachers  who  are  not  satisfied  with  the  old  system  of  writing,  and  yet  are 
not  prepared  to  adopt  any  of  the  new  vertical  styles. 


PENM AN S HIP  CHARTS 

Barnes's  Vertical   Writing  Charts 

In  four  sheets       .......  Per  set,  $1  50 


STANDARD  COPY  BOOKS 

Barnes's  National  Copy  Books.  Spencerian  Revised  Copy  Books. 

Eclectic  Copy  Books.  Payson,  Dunton  and  Scribner's 

Harper's  Graded  Copy  Books.  National  Copy  Books. 

Ward's   Graded   Course   in    Penmanship  and    Spelling 

Sir.all  mimbers,  I  to  6    .          .  .          .          .      I'er  dozen,  72  cents 

Large  luinibers,  i  to  6  .          .  .          .          .Per  dozen,  96  cents 


Special  Circulars  mid  Spcci»u-n   Pages  of  any  of  the  above   Copy  Books 
7oill  he  sent  free  on  applicatioji 

American    Book   Company 

New  York  ♦  Cincinnati  •  Chicagc 

(40) 


Arithmetics 


SCHOOL  ARITHMETICS 

Bailey's  American  F.lemeiitary  Arithmetic 

American  Comprehensive  Arithmetic 
Milne's  Elements  of  Arithmetic     . 

Standard  Arithmetic 
White's  First  Book  of  Arithmetic 

New  Complete  Arithmetic 
Ray's  New  Elementary  Arithmetic 

New  Practical  Arithmetic 
Robinson's  New  Kudiments  of  Arithmetic 

New  Practical  Arithmetic 
Hornbrook's  Primary  Arithmetic  . 

MENTAL  ARITHMETICS 

Bailey's  American  Mental  Arithmetic    . 
Dubbs's  Complete  Mental  Arithmetic    . 
Milne's  Mental  Arithmetic    . 
Ray's  New  Intellectual  Arithmetic 
Robinson's  New  Intellectual  Arithmetic 

AIDS  TO  THE  STUDY  OF  ARITHM^ETjC 

Baird's  Graded  Work  in  Arithmetic. 
First  Year.      Numbers  to  20 
Second  Year.      Numbers  to  100 
Third  Year.     Numbers  to  1,000,000 
Fourth  Year  ..... 

Practical  Arithmetic  for  Grammar  Grades 

Dubbs's  Arithmetical  Problems.      Teacher's  Edition 
Arithmetical  Problems.    Pupil's  Edition.    2  Parts 

Kirk  and   Sabin's  Oral   Arithmetic.      Parts  L  and  II. 

White's  Oral  Lessons  in  Number 


.20 
.20 


Each 
Each 


$0.35 

.65 
.30 
,65 
.30 
.65 
.35 
.50 
.30 
.65 
.35 


.35 
.35 
.35 
.25 
.35 


$0.20 
20 
.25 
.25 
,65 
1  00 
.25 
.25 
,60 


Copirs  sriit,  pi-cptiid,  to  any  address  on  rotoipl  of  th, 

American    Book   Company 

New  York  •>  Cincinnati  ♦ 


(47' 


Cliica2;o 


Elementary   English 

For  Beginners  in  the  Study  ok   Language  and   Composition. 


LONG'S  NEW  LANGUAGE  EXERCISES.  Part  L  .  .  20  cents 
LONG'S  NEW  LANGUAGE  EXERCISES.  Part  II.  .  .  25  cents 
LONG'S  LESSONS  IN  ENGLISH  (Grammar  and  Composition)  35  cents 
A  popular  and  carefully  graded  series,  based  on  actual  schoolroom 
work.  Part  I.  for  first  and  second  years.  Part  II.  for  third  and  fourth 
year  grades.  The  "Lessons  in  English"  occupies  the  place  of  a  primary 
Grammar  and  Composition. 

LYFE'S  ELEMENTARY  ENGLISH 35  cents 

For  primary  and  lower  grammar  grades.  Divided  into  three  parts, 
each  representing  a  year's  work. 

MAXWELL'S  FIRST  BOOK  IN   ENGLISH  ....        40  cents 
Provides  instruction  for  a  three  years'  course  in  Language  and  Com- 
position.    Includes  lessons,  practice,  and  instruction  in  the  elementary 
principles  of  the  English  language. 

METCALFAND  BRIGHT'S  LANGUAGE  LESSONS.  Parti.  35  cents 
METCALFAND  BRIGHT'S  LANGUAGE  LESSONS.  Part  II.  55  cents 
A  graded  series  of  lessons  intended  to  cover  the  course  in  language 
in  primary  and  intermediate  grades.  A  study  of  literary  examples  is 
a  marked  feature  of  the  second  book. 

SWINTON'S  LANGUAGE   PRIMER 28  cents 

SWINTON'S  LANGUAGE   LESSONS 38  cents 

The  Primer,  or  Beginner's  Lessons  in  Speaking  and  Writing,  is 
designed  for  use  in  primary  grades.  The  Language  Lessons  furnishes 
material  for  elementary  instruction  in  Grammar  and  Composition. 

Language  Tablets  and    Blanks 

NATIONAL   LANGUAGE  TABLETS         .         .         .    Per  dox.en,  90  cents 

PATTERSON'S  COMPOSITION   BOOKS 
No.  I.      Flexible.     36  pages  . 
No.  2.     Boards.       60  pages  . 
Xo.  3.     Cloth.  84  pages  . 

No.  4.      lixtra.        108  pages  . 

WARD'S  GRAMMAR  BLANKS.     2  Xos 


Per  dozen,  96  cents 

Per  dozen,  $1.80 

Per  dozen,  2.70 

Per  dozen,  3  60 


Per  dozen,  90  cents 


Copii-s  sc}it,  prepaid,  to  any  address  on  receipt  of  price. 

American    Book   Company 

New  York  t  Cincinnati  »  Chicago 

(S2) 


Eclectic   English   Classics 


Tal 


Arnold's  (Matthew)  Sohrab  and  Rustum 

Burke's  Conciliation  with  the  American  Colonics 

Burns's  Poems— Selections  . 

Byron's  Poems — Selections  . 

Carlyle's  Essay  on  Robert  Burns  .  . 

Chaucer's  Canterbury  Tales — Prologue  and  Knighte's 

Coleridge's  Rime  of  the  Ancient  Mariner 

Cooper's  IMlot     ..... 

Defoe's  History  of  the  Plague  in  London 

DeQuincey's  Revolt  of  the  Tartars 

Dryden's  Palamon  and  Arcite       .... 

Emerson's  American  .Scholar,   Self  Reliance,  and  Ojmpensation 

Franklin's  Autobiography 

George  Eliot's  Silas  Marner 

Goldsmith's  Vicar  of  Wakefield  . 

Gray's  Poems — Selections    . 

Irving's  Sketch  Pook — Selections 

Irving's  Tales  of  a  Traveler 

Macaulay's  Second  Essay  on  Chatham 

Macaulay's  P^ssay  on  Milton 

Macaulay's  Essay  on  Addison 

Macaulay's  Life  of  Samuel  Johnson     . 

Milton's  L'Allegro,  II  Penseroso,  Comus,  and  1. 

Milton's  Paradise  Lost — Hooks  I  and  II 

Pope's  Homer's  Iliad,  Books  I,  VI,  XXII 

Pope's  Rape  of  the  Lock,  and  Essay  on  M 

Scott's  Ivanhoe  ..... 

Scott's  Marmion  .... 

Scott's  Lady  of  the  Lake     . 

Scott's  The' Abbot       .... 

Scott's  Woodstock       .... 

Shakespeare's  Julius  Caesar 

Shakespeare's  Twelfth  Night 

Shakespeare's  Merchant  of  Venice 

Shakespeare's  Midsummer-Night's  Dre-.ni 

Shakespeare's  As  Vou  Like  It     . 

Shakespeare's  .Macbeth 

Shakespeare's  Hamlet 

Sir  Roger  de  Coverley  Papers  (The  Spectator) 

Southey's  Life  of  Nelson    . 

Tennyson's  Princess    .... 

Tennyson's  Idylls  of  the  King — Select!.)' 

Webster's  Bunker  Hill  Orations 

Wordsworth's  Poems — Selections 


cida 
X\I 


$0.20 
.20 
.20 
.25 
.20 
.25 
.20 
.40 
.40 
.20 
20 
.20 
.35 
.30 
.35 
.20 
.20 
.50 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.50 
.40 
.30 
.60 
.60 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.25 
.20 
.40 
.20 
.20 
.20 
.20 


Copit-s  sriit,  prt-paid,  to  anv  adJriss  on  r<-r,-lpt  of  ihi'  price. 

American    Book    Company 

New  York  ♦  Cincinnati  ♦  Chicago 


(95) 


Eclectic   School  Readings 

A  Collection  of  Choice,  Interesting,  and  Instructive  Books,  Handsomely 
Bound  in  Cloth. 


Folk   Stories 

Lane's  Stories  for  Children 
Baldwin's  Fairy  Stories  and  Fables  . 
Baldwin's  Fifty  Famous  Stories  Retolt 
Baldwin's  Old  Stories  of  the  East    . 
Baldwin's  Old  Greek  Stories 
Bradish's  Old  Norse  Stories 
Pyle's  Prose  and  Verse  for  Children 

Famous  Stories 

Clarke's  Stories  from  the  Arabian  Nights 
Defoe's  Robinson  Crusoe  (Stephens) 
Dickens's  Tale  of  Two  Cities  (Kirk) 
Scott's  Kenilworth  (Norris)  . 
Scott's  Quentin  Durward  (Norris) 
Scott's  Talisman  (Dewey) 

Geographical   Stories 

Krout's  Alice's  Visit  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands 
Shaw's  Big  People  and  Little  People  of  Other  Lands 
Shaw's  Discoverers  and  Explorers     .... 

Historical    Stories 

Eggleston's  Stories  of  Great  Americans   . 
Eggleston's  Stories  of  American  Life  and  Adventur 
Guerber's  Story  of  the  Thirteen  Colonies 
Guerber's  Story  of  the  Great  Republic 
Guerber's  Story  of  the  English  . 
Guerber's  Story  of  the  Chosen  People 
Guerber's  Story  of  the  Greeks   . 
Guerber's  Story  of  the  Romans   . 

Classical    Stories 

Clarke's  Story  of  Troy 

Clarke's  Story  of  Ulysses 

Clarke's  Story  of  Aeneas  ..... 

Clarke's  Story  of  Caesar  ..... 

Natural    History   Stories 

Holder's  Stories  of  Animal  Life 
Kelly's  Short  Stories  of  Our  Shy  Neighbors  . 
Dana's  Plants  and  Their  Children 
Needham's  Outdoor  Studies  .... 

Patriotic  and    Moral    Readings 

Markwick  and  Smith's  True  Citizen  . 
Persons's  Our  Country  in  Poem  and  Prose 


$0  25 
.35 
.35 
.45 
.45 
.45 
.40 

.60 
.50 
.50 
.50 
.50 
.50 

.45 
.30 
.35 

.40 
E  .50 
.65 
.65 
.65 
,60 
.60 
.60 


.60 
.60 
.45 
,45 

.60 

.50 
,65 
.40 

60 

.50 


Copies  sent,  prepaid,    on   receipt  of  the  price. 

American    Book   Company 


New  York 


Cincinnati 


Chicago 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


J/IAll  91950 


FormLO — 15m-10,'48  (B1039)444 


TJNlVi^ii'-^.  i'^'    ('f  CfMAyili<-Vi>^ 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


-ooaa-shsw — 


.^53d     Discoverers  and  AA      000141745    0 

persr        — 


^^njtiBSQ- 


G133 
S53d 


